Justin Gaethje handed Paddy Pimblett his first loss inside the Octagon in an early Fight of the Year contender at UFC 324.
Going into what he considers a win-or-go-home situation, Gaethje came out swinging from the get-go and caught Pimblett with a right hand near the fence that sent the Liverpudlian crashing to the canvas. Gaethje proceeded to land a series of nasty shots on the ground, but Pimblett weathered the storm, prompting Gaethje to let him back up.
Gaethje picked up right where he left off, with his foot on the gas pedal and swinging recklessly. That led to ‘The Highlight’ eating some solid shots from Pimblett, but neither fighter could find the fight-ending blow in the first.
Showing no signs of slowing, Gaethje knocked down Pimblett late in the second with a right hand near the fence. With Pimblett compromised, Gaethje unleashed another flurry through the end of the round and appeared to be in complete control of the fight.
However, instant replay revealed that Gaethje appeared to poke Pimblett in the eye just before the right landed. Referee Marc Goddard failed to see the foul, and Pimblett never appeared to protest, allowing the fight to continue uninterupted.
As we got into the third, Gaethje appeared to have some sort of issue with his right hand. Joe Rogan recognized that Gaethje was repeatedly adjusting his hand and neglecting to throw with it. That allowed Pimblett the opportunity to land some solid combinations.
With his right hand seemingly compromised, Gaethje started leaning on his leg kicks as Pimblett appeared to get his second wind. Gaethje landed a nasty right hand in the waning seconds of the round, but it appeared that ‘The Baddy’ took round three on the scorecards.
Just when it seemed like Gaethje may be running out of steam, he came out swinging in the fourth, knocking down Pimblett for a third time.
After taking a beating for the majority of the round, Pimblett finally found some success, landing a combination that appeared to hurt Gaethje. As Pimblett moved in to capitalize, Gaethje changed levels, muscling Pimblett to the mat and lighting him up with some ground strikes just before the bell.
Recognizing he’s likely down on the scorecards, Pimblett came out firing on all cylinders before desperately looking for a takedown. Gaethje defended the attempt and broke away before resuming his never-ending pursuit of a knockout.
With time running out, Pimblett threw with reckless abandon and appeared to hurt Gaethje late. Unfortunately for the Liverpudlian, it was too little, too late.
Official Result: Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) to capture the interim lightweight championship.
