Paddy Pimblett Violated by Justin Gaethje in Face-Off Before Incredible Reply

Justin Gaethje brutally mocked Paddy Pimblett during the final face-off ahead of their UFC title fight in Las Vegas.

The long wait for the return of the UFC is finally over as former lightweight title challenger Gaethje faces Pimblett, one of the most popular fighters in the sport, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Gaethje v Pimblett will fight for the interim lightweight title as the headliners for the first UFC card since the MMA organisation signed a new $7.7 billion US broadcast deal with Paramaount+.

Ahead of the fight, the pair have been exchanging brutal comments about each other to build-up hype and excitement for their UFC title fight.

And as the pair met face to face for the final time before being locked in a cage together, Gaethje made sure to make one more hilarious comment about his opponent that Pimblett was quick to reply to.

Ever since the UFC's plans to offer Pimblett a chance to fight either current champion Ilia Topuria for the undisputed lightweight title or Gaethje for the interim belt, the Liverpudlian has been subject to major backlash from fans.

Many feel that the lightweight star's popularity has allowed him to jump the line of people looking for a shot at becoming champion, leading to him receiving criticism for everything he is doing ahead of the fight.

When the pair met for their first face off while shooting promo material for Paramount+ earlier in the week, fans lashed out at Pimblett for his poor posture in the video as the 31-year-old slouched over his opponent.

But when they met for the final time before the fight, Pimblett made sure to fix his posture, prompting Gaethje to ask: “You got taller?”

“Everyone was talking about my posture yesterday," Pimblett replied.

To which Gaethje brutally added: “You looked like a question mark.”

However, Pimblett wasn't prepared to let his opponent get the last laugh, as he joked: "Yeah, thought I'd sort the posture out so I'm not looking like the alien off Men in Black."

Justin Gaethje: “You got taller?”

Paddy Pimblett: “Everyone was talking about my posture yesterday.”

Justin Gaethje: “You looked like a question mark.”

😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/S46XGMzUde

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) January 23, 2026

Sunday morning will undoubtedly be the biggest moment of Pimblett's career, with a win over Gaethje propelling him further into super stardom and establishing him as a UFC champion, only the fourth Brit to do so after Michael Bisping, Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall.

Should he get him arm raised, he will no doubt finally get a unification bout with long-term rival Topuria once the current lightweight champion returns to the sport following a personal break later this year.