Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett in a bloody war to win the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 324.
Gaethje vs. Pimblett headlined the promotion's first show of its Paramount era after striking a whopping $7.7 billion deal last year.
The interim UFC lightweight title was on the line in Las Vegas after undisputed champion Ilia Topuria announced his decision to take a temporary leave away from the sport due to personal reasons.
And 'The Highlight' has set up a future showdown against Topuria following his thrilling win at UFC 324.
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Gaethje started fast and aggressively, dropping Pimblett in the first round. But he recovered and threw a series of stinging leg kicks, which seemed to halt his opponent.
In the second round, Gaethje almost ended Pimblett, with a replay later showing him landing an illegal blow to the Liverpool fighter's eye in the form of a thumb.
But referee Marc Goddard didn't punish Gaethje despite warning him over a point deduction following an earlier eye poke.
In the third round, Pimblett established his jab and continued to find success with his punishing leg kicks.
Not the first time in the title fight, Gaethje nearly stopped the 31-year-old when he unloaded a barrage of strikes in the fourth round.
Both fighters came out swinging in the fifth round as they exchanged damaging strikes. Pimblett showed his heart and toughness as he delivered a huge onslaught in the final minute of their championship bout.
Gaethje was awarded the fight on the judges' scorecards, securing a unanimous decision victory.
Speaking to Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview, the 37-year-old said: "That Scouser does not get knocked out. What a f**king gangster. This is a crazy sport and a f**king amazing life."
'The Baddy' told Rogan: "I wanted to be walking away with that belt. I know how tough I am anyway. There’s no other many I’d rather lose to than 'The Highlight' Justin Gaethje.
"It shows why he’s a legend. He hit me with a body shot in that first round... it got me. I thought I was winning the first round up to that point. You live and you learn. I’ll be back better. You haven’t seen the last of me."
After claiming the interim title, Gaethje is in line to face Topuria later this year to unify the UFC lightweight division.
The veteran American is now a two-time interim UFC lightweight champion, having beaten Tony Ferguson to win the interim strap in May 2020.
He's also handed Pimblett his first UFC defeat of his career.
Sean O'Malley and Waldo Cortes-Acosta earn big wins at UFC 324
A featherweight clash between Arnold Allen and Jean Silva opened the main-card and they put on a banger, with the Brazilian securing a decision victory.
Natalia Silva outpointed Rose Namajunas in their UFC women's flyweight title eliminator to seemingly set up a clash against UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Surging UFC heavyweight contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta stopped Derrick Lewis in the second round to extend his winning streak to three fights.
And in the co-main event, Sean O'Malley returned to the win column following his back-to-back defeats to Merab Dvalishvili by beating Song Yadong via unanimous decision.
Topics: UFC, Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett
Nasir Jabbar