Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett left it all in the octagon in the UFC 324 main event.
After five rounds of brutal back-and-forth action, it was Gaethje who had his hand raised and an interim lightweight championship belt strapped around his waist, making him the first two-time interim titleholder in UFC history. It was well-earned as Gaethje out-brawled Pimblett en route to a unanimous decision win via scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47.
The majority of fighters reacting live to the action on social media were overwhelmingly positive, though retired UFC star Dustin Poirier appeared to give Pimblett a backhanded compliment of sorts.
“Welcome to the big leagues, Patrick!” Poirier wrote on Twitter. “One up for the legends.”
Pimblett and Poirier have had an acrimonious relationship according to the Englishman, so Poirier doesn’t have any qualms about taking a dig at Pimblett, who loses for the first time in the UFC.
Not everyone was as wowed by Saturday’s main event. Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett called it “one of the worst UFC main events in a while.”
“Two capable and dynamic finishers, fighting like like a couple of newbies,” Barnett added. “Such a terrible display, stretched over five awful rounds. This was match for the prelims.”
Check out more social media reactions to the UFC 324 main event below.
Subscribe to my channel
