Paddy Pimblett’s three-year reign at Next Generation MMA’s annual “King Of The Mat” tournament has officially come to an end.

The Liverpool UFC star was submitted by his training partner Aaron Jordan during the gym’s traditional end-of-year grappling marathon, bringing Pimblett’s impressive run of dominance to a close.

In this king of the mat format, all competitors roll at the same time on the mat, creating a chaotic free-for-all environment where anyone can be attacked at any moment.
And when a fighter is submitted, they are immediately eliminated, and the event continues without pause until only one person remains.

The rules are intentionally strict.

Twisting leg locks are banned to avoid injuries, athletes must constantly protect themselves due to the unpredictable nature of the format, and stepping off the mat for any reason results in instant disqualification.
These endurance battles often last between one and two and a half hours.

Going into this year’s edition, Pimblett was once again the clear favorite.
He had won the event three years in a row and made no attempt to hide his confidence:

I’ve won it three years on the bounce to be honest. So, I’m here defending my title.

I think I’m levels above the rest of the gym on the ground game with the Jiu-Jitsu.

Despite that confidence, Pimblett entered the tournament under less-than-ideal conditions.
With a fight against Justin Gaethje just five weeks away, he had already completed a full training session earlier in the day, including five rounds of sparring and pad work:

Don’t know what can be asked tonight.

This time, however, the streak would not continue.

Aaron Jordan emerged victorious from the field, submitting Pimblett and finally dethroning the long-time champion.
Pimblett took the loss in stride and even welcomed it:

It’s nice to actually get beat for once. It sounds weird to say.

Couldn’t have lost it to a nicer person. He’s a high level black belt.
So to lose to him is no shame.

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