Justin Gaethje added another defining moment to his legacy Saturday night, capturing the UFC interim lightweight title for the second time with a victory over Paddy Pimblett in the main event of UFC 324 and once again proving why his brand of violence remains must-see at the sport’s highest level.
Gaethje (27-5) credited Pimblett for his toughness, saying he expected the rising contender to keep pushing no matter what happened early. Even after finding success in the opening minutes, Gaethje said he knew he had to seize the momentum before Pimblett could settle into the fight.
In fact, the fight reminded him of a time when a younger Gaethje was humbled by a seasoned veteran.
“That was his only choice. I knew he wasn’t going to quit, he’s not a quitter, I’ve never seen him quit,” Gaethje told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.
“Never seen him give up, and luckily I found some success early. I was going to have to steal some momentum, and he was very confident and I had to take that early. The moment I stepped in there he didn’t take his eyes off me. That was me not too long ago, and I guess that was Eddie Alvarez here to teach him a lesson. Same thing he did to me.”
Often the underdog, Gaethje has repeatedly proven that betting against him is usually a mistake. And while his fan-friendly style can look chaotic, it isn’t random, it’s calculated violence designed to pull opponents into a storm.
“I’m 9-2 as an underdog, but I don’t think people understand what I’m doing in there. I said it before I even got to the UFC. There is a method to the madness. It looks like absolute chaos, but it’s less than seconds, less than inches. My coach taught me how to be great in those areas,” he said.
Gaethje admitted the five-round battle took serious toll, even as he celebrated another championship moment. Still, with a massive event looming on the horizon, he made it clear he has no plans to step away for long.
“I definitely need some time off. He f*cking rocked my brain a couple times, and the only thing we have over the more dangerous sports which is boxing and football, is we get to take time. So I will do that, but the White House is in June, and I represent this country. I represented it tonight. There’s no way to keep me off that card unless I’m dead,” Gaethje said.
Next for Gaethje is a potential title unification bout with lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. While Topuria has taken time away to address personal matters, Gaethje said fighting for the undisputed belt is the reason he’s in this position, and he expects that matchup to be next unless something changes.
“Can’t wait. It’s what I got here for. It’s what we do, and of course that’s what I believe the next fight is,” he said.
“Unless he’s not back.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Justin Gaethje above.
