Gaethje wins interim title in slugfest with Pimblett

LAS VEGAS — Justin Gaethje was already considered one of the most entertaining fighters of all time, but that legend grew a little more Saturday night.

Nicknamed “The Highlight,” Gaethje (27-5) won the UFC’s 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 Pimblett down multiple times 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, perhaps at the White House in June.

“That Scouser does not get knocked out,” Gaethje said, referencing Pimblett’s notorious claim that people from Liverpool are impossible to finish. “This is a crazy sport, an amazing life, and I’m so thankful to share it with you guys.”

Gaethje, 37, entered Saturday’s fight as a +195 betting underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook and is now 9-2 in his UFC career as an underdog. He handed Pimblett, 31, his first UFC loss in the process; Pimblett was 7-0 in the UFC before Saturday.

Gaethje also won the interim UFC championship in 2020, in a decision win over Tony Ferguson. He went on to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov in what would prove to be the final fight of Nurmagomedov’s career at UFC 254 and lost via submission.

Although Gaethje defeated Pimblett convincingly on the scorecards, it was a competitive five-round fight with several swings in momentum. 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 with the right hand again in the second round. He finished the second round on top, landing hard elbows and forearms. Pimblett, bloodied over his right eye, even fist-bumped him after the round in acknowledgement.

“He’s a dangerous kid,” Gaethje said. “I had to steal his momentum and confidence. My strategy was to put my head in his chest and push him backwards.”

Pimblett, who kept his prefight promise to stand with Gaethje for all five rounds, credited his opponent for the win. In the buildup to the bout, he had stated that he was a fan of Gaethje.

“I wanted to leave with that belt,” Pimblett said. “But there’s no other man I’d rather lose to than ‘The Highlight.'”

According to UFC Stats, Gaethje outlanded Pimblett 219-177 in total strikes. He absorbed a lot of Pimblett’s kicks to the body and legs but managed to continue moving forward when it appeared Pimblett’s offense started to pile up.

In the fifth round, likely sensing he was behind in the striking battle and on the scorecards, Pimblett attempted his most aggressive takedown of the fight, but Gaethje defended it well and went on to land the hardest strikes of the round.

Gaethje, who fights out of Denver, will almost certainly be a betting underdog again when he meets Topuria for the undisputed title. Topuria announced he would take a leave of absence to begin 2026 in order to deal with personal issues, but he has stated he wanted the winner of Saturday’s bout sometime between April and June.

Originally published at ESPN