Justin Gaethje went after Paddy Pimblett from the beginning Saturday night, his aggressiveness leading to a unanimous decision and upset victory for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324.
Justin Gaethje went after Paddy Pimblett from the beginning Saturday night, his aggressiveness leading to a unanimous decision and upset victory for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324.
In the first UFC fight card on Paramount+, the judges awarded Gaethje (27-5) the victory by scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. The Associated Press scored it 48-47 for Gaethje.
Pimblett (23-4) was a -250 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.
In the co-main event, third-ranked bantamweight challenger Sean O’Malley (19-3) of Phoenix defeated No. 5 Song Yadong (22-9-1) of China by unanimous decision.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28. O’Malley appeared in real trouble before putting together his strongest round in the third.
Gaethje, a 37-year-old who fights out of Denver, was the aggressor right away. He landed a series of punches about a minute and a half into the fight and took Pimblett to the mat.
The pounding continued in the second round when Gaethje took the 31-year-old Englishman down three times. On the third time, with about 30 seconds left, Gaethje was relentless in landings blows on Pimblett’s face.
