Paddy Pimblett is still upset at UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje for committing fouls when they fought at UFC 324.
In January, Gaethje pulled off an upset when he beat Pimblett via unanimous decision in a hard-fought fight that went the full five rounds.
But while Gaethje earned the decision win on the judges’ scorecards, Pimblett is still upset at how the fight played out, as he believes the new UFC lightweight champion got away with multiple fouls against him and also faked low blows.
Paddy Pimblett Still Not Happy With Justin Gaethje Fight
Speaking in a vlog ahead of his return to the Octagon against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329, Pimblett admitted that the fight with Gaethje still irks him, but he’s using it as motivation to get better as a fighter and come back with a vengeance against Saint Denis next month.
“Weird to say, but Monday morning watching that, came in more motivated. I went five rounds with Gaethje and was pushing the pace to the very end. I didn’t quit. I kept coming forward trying to finish the fight. And I think I won 3 and 5, so he beat me 3-2. One of the judges agreed. And if a lot of different things didn’t happen in that fight like eye gouges and low blows and then faking low blows, then it would have been a different fight. We’ve got to get on with it now. No point crying over spilled milk. I just hope I get to fight again. As I say, he’s the undisputed champion now. I went five rounds with the undisputed champion of the world,” Pimblett said (via MMAFighting.com).
While Pimblett wants a rematch with Gaethje, he is likely going to have to wait a while for that to happen, as both Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira are ahead of him in line for a title shot.
However, if Pimblett can go out there and pull off the upset over Saint Denis and show that he’s still one of the best lightweights in the world, it would bode very well for his chances of securing a rematch with Gaethje down the road. He would likely need at least one more big win, but Pimblett will be in good shape either way as long as he beats Saint Denis at UFC 329.
Paddy Pimblett Shares Thoughts on Benoit Saint Denis Fight
In addition to speaking his mind on Gaethje, Pimblett also shared his thoughts on his upcoming fight with Saint Denis.
“We know BSD’s going to try and take me down. We don’t know he’s going to try and take me down, but we try to be ready for all things. BSD takes most people down. I think he might be a little bit afraid to take me down because he knows I’ll submit him on the ground. Once I hit him with a few punches, a few kicks, knees, elbows, he’s going to revert back to default settings and them default settings for him are shooting takedowns,” Pimblett said.
Paddy Pimblett Still Upset at Justin Gaethje For Fouls in Fight