Justin Gaethje proved he’s still got a lot left in him.
Despite a championship pedigree and far more experience than Paddy Pimblett heading into UFC 324, Gaethje found himself as a decided underdog. But that all changed when Gaethje came out guns blazing, looking for the knockout from the first second until the last as he dished out punishment round after round and Pimblett was left bloodied, bruised and realizing he came up short in his first attempt at winning a UFC title.
The judges scored the fight 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 with Gaethje getting the win and become a two-time interim lightweight champion while Pimblett proved his unbelievable toughness, although the loss still stings as he suffers his first setback in the UFC.
“That Scouser does not get knocked out. What a f*cking gangster,” Gaethje said about Pimblett after the five-round war. “This is a crazy sport and a f*cking amazing life.
“My coach was definitely upset with me after the first round. I just love this shit so much, it’s hard to control myself sometimes. F*cking young kid, dangerous kid. I had to work really hard. Champions move forward and I just showed you why that is a must.”
At 37, Gaethje is supposed to be fading but instead he put on another instant classic to take out Pimblett and set himself on a collision course with reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
As for Pimblett, obviously not the result he wanted but he showed heart and determination throughout the 25 minutes fight, although those kinds of fights with Gaethje take years off your life.
“I wanted to be walking away with that belt,” Pimblett said about the loss. “I know how tough I am anyway. There’s no other many I’d rather lose to than the ‘Highlight’ Justin Gaethje. It shows why he’s a legend. He hit me with a body shot in that first round … it got me. I thought I was winning the first round up to that point. You live and you learn. I’ll be back better. You haven’t seen the last of me.”
With Gaethje stalking forward, Pimblett opened with some sharp leg kicks and then going back up top to the head with effective punches. Gaethje quickly fired back throwing bombs including an uppercut that crumbled Pimblett and sent him to the canvas.
Gaethje jumped on top of Pimblett and started unloading a barrage of punches before allowing the Scouser to get back to his feet. Pimblett seemed to recover and he immediately launched a huge knee up the middle that blasted Gaethje, although he didn’t seem rattled by the shot landed.
Pimblett kept throwing but Gaethje was not deterred as threw another haymaker and an uppercut that found a home on the chin. Gaethje tried to measure his next shot but as a result he ended up poking Pimblett in the eye, which forced a pause in the action.
On the restart, Gaethje unloaded another hellacious barrage but Pimblett seemed content to fight fire with fire as they kept hammering away at each other.
As round two got underway, Pimblett fired off another leg kick followed by a stiff left hook and Gaethje countered by snatching a front headlock as the fight went to the ground briefly. Pimblett broke free and Gaethje immediately caught him with a nasty left jab.
Pimblett tried to stay composed with well-timed knees to the body and effective combinations but Gaethje was like a bull coming after him, always just inches away from a knockout blow. When Gaethje could get Pimblett trapped against the cage, he would land his best punches as the constant pressure paid off.
After another scramble on the ground, Gaethje went on the attack, bludgeoning Pimblett with huge punches and putting him down again. Gaethje was looking for the finish as he cracked Pimblett with punches and elbows.
As Pimblett went back to his corner, he was bleeding badly and his right eye was swelling more and more by the second. His coaches were begging him to get the fight to the floor but Gaethje clearly felt the momentum shifting in his favor as the third round started.
To his credit, Pimblett stayed composed and started putting together more technical striking combinations and he wasn’t getting lured into a classic Gaethje brawl. Pimblett was sticking behind a very effective jab and then stabbing Gaethje with another punch right behind it.
With Gaethje slowing down, Pimblett was really starting to find a home for his best strikes and he was clearly doing a lot of damage. Pimblett continued his assault with some heavy leg kicks but Gaethje wasn’t backing down as the lightweights kept trading shots on the feet.
An agent of chaos, Gaethje was just determined to draw Pimblett into a war and he connected with another devastating combination. Pimblett was wobbled but wouldn’t go down as Gaethje was pressing forward, looking for the kill.
Just when it looked like Gaethje was in control, Pimblett tagged him with a couple of powerful combinations. Then Gaethje came right back at him, refusing to go away and just dishing out the punishment with every strike thrown.
With five minutes remaining, Pimblett started strong, probably realizing he needed a finish if he wanted to win but Gaethje was still gunning for the knockout. That led to Pimblett finally looking for a takedown but Gaethje defended well before separating and unloading with another bomb.
Gaethje and Pimblett just kept blasting away at each other with no quit in either man in another wild exchange. The final horn sounded with the lightweights sharing the stage after setting the bar very high for Fight of the Year in 2026.
Of course, Gaethje knows what’s next with an expected showdown against Topuria awaiting him, perhaps with those two serving as one of the marquee fights at the UFC White House card in June.
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