Gaethje wins interim title in slugfest with Pimblett at UFC 324
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Brett Okamoto
LAS VEGAS — Justin Gaethje was already considered one of the most entertaining fighters of all time, but that legend grew even more Saturday night.
Nicknamed “The Highlight,” Gaethje (27-5) won the UFC interim lightweight championship for the second time at UFC 324 inside T-Mobile Arena, defeating Paddy Pimblett (23-4) by unanimous decision in an action-packed main event. Gaethje knocked down Pimblett repeatedly in multiple rounds en route to official judges’ scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
The result sets up a 155-pound unification bout between Gaethje and undisputed champion Ilia Topuria, possibly at the White House in June.
“This Scouser won’t be taken out,” Gaethje said, referring to Pimblett’s notorious claim that Liverpool’s people are impossible to finish. “It’s a crazy sport, an incredible life, and I’m so grateful to share it with you.”
Gaethje, 37, entered Saturday’s fight as a +195 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook and is now 9-2 in his UFC career as an underdog. He handed 31-year-old Pimblett his first UFC defeat in the process; Pimblett was 7-0 in the UFC before Saturday.
Gaethje also won the UFC interim championship in 2020 in a decision victory over Tony Ferguson. He then challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov in what would prove to be the final fight of Nurmagomedov’s career at UFC 254 and lost by submission.
Although Gaethje beat Pimblett convincingly on the scorecards, this was a competitive five-round fight with several momentum shifts. Gaethje’s best work came when he put Pimblett’s back to the fence. He knocked him down with a right uppercut along the cage in the first round and again with a right hand in the second round. He finished the second round on top, landing hard elbows and forearms. Pimblett, bloodied in the right eye, even punched him after the round in appreciation.
“He’s a dangerous kid,” Gaethje said. “I had to steal his momentum and his confidence. My strategy was to put my head in his chest and push him backwards.”
Pimblett, who kept his pre-fight promise to stand by Gaethje for all five rounds, credited his opponent for the victory. During the preparation for the fight, he said he was a fan of Gaethje.
“I wanted to walk away with that belt,” Pimblett said. “But there’s no other man I’d rather lose to than ‘The Highlight’.”
According to UFC stats, Gaethje outshot Pimblett 219-177 overall. He absorbed a lot of Pimblett’s kicks to the body and legs, but managed to keep moving forward when it appeared that Pimblett’s offense was starting to pile up.
In the fifth round, probably feeling behind in the striking battle and on the scorecards, Pimblett attempted his most aggressive takedown of the fight, but Gaethje defended it well and then landed the hardest strikes of the round.
Gaethje, who fights in Denver, will almost certainly be an underdog again when he meets Topuria for the undisputed title. Topuria announced he would take time off in early 2026 to deal with personal matters, but said he wanted the winner of Saturday’s fight between April and June.
