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Brett Okamoto
Las Vegas– Justin Gaethje Was already considered one of the most entertaining fighters of all time, but on Saturday night that legend grew a little more.
Nicknamed “The Highlight,” Gaethje (27-5) won the UFC’s interim lightweight championship for the second time at UFC 324 inside T-Mobile Arena. paddy pimblett (23-4) by unanimous decision in an action-packed main event. Gaethje defeated Pimblett several times in several rounds en route to the official judges’ scores of 49–46, 49–46, and 48–47.
The result sets up a 155-pound unification bout between Gaethje and the undisputed champion Ilya TopuriaMaybe at the White House in June.
“The Scousers are not ruled out,” Gaethje said, referencing Pimblett’s infamous claim that “it is impossible to rule out Liverpool’s people.” “It’s a crazy game, an amazing life, and I’m so grateful to share it with you guys.”
Gaethje, 37, entered Saturday’s fight as a +195 betting underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook and is now 9-2 in his UFC career as an underdog. He handed the 31-year-old Pimblett his first UFC defeat in the process; Pimblett was 7-0 in the UFC before Saturday.
Gaethje also won the interim UFC championship in a decision win in 2020 Tony Ferguson. he started challenging Khabib Nurmagomedov In what would prove to be the final fight of Nurmagomedov’s career at UFC 254 he lost via submission.
Although Gaethje easily defeated Pimblett on the scorecards, it was a competitive five-round fight with many ups and downs in pace. Gaethje’s best work came when he put Pimblett’s back on the fence. He knocked him down with a right uppercut near the cage in the first round and again with a right hand in the second round. He finished the second round on top using hard elbows and forearms. Pimblett, whose right eye was bloodied, even punched him after the round in approval.
“He’s a dangerous kid,” Gaethje said. “I had to steal her momentum and confidence. My strategy was to push her back by putting my head in her chest.”
Pimblett, who kept his prefight promise to stand with Gaethje for all five rounds, credited his opponent for the victory. In preparation for the fight, he stated that he was a fan of Gaethje.
“I wanted to leave with that belt,” Pimblett said. “But there’s no other guy I’d rather lose to than ‘The Highlight’.”
According to UFC statistics, Gaethje outgained Pimblett 219–177 in total strikes. He took a number of kicks to the body and legs from Pimblett, but managed to take the lead when Pimblett’s attack seemed to increase.
In the fifth round, possibly realizing he was behind in the striking battle and on the scorecards, Pimblett attempted the most aggressive takedown of the fight, but Gaethje defended it well and landed the hardest strikes of the round.
Gaethje, who fights out of Denver, will almost certainly be the underdog in the betting again when he faces Topuria for the undisputed title. Topuria announced that he would take a Holiday Personal issues have to be dealt with before the start of 2026, but he has said he wants the winner of Saturday’s clash sometime between April and June.
