Paddy Pimblett slams Justin Gaethje's 'illegal tactics' in scathing call-out of UFC lightweight champion

Paddy Pimblett has claimed Justin Gaethje used illegal tactics during their fight at UFC 324.

Pimblett suffered the first loss of his UFC tenure at the hands of the newly crowned lightweight champion back in January, with the American emerging as a unanimous decision winner on the judges' scorecards.

Since then, Pimblett has not returned to the Octagon, although he is scheduled to take on Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329 in July.

Meanwhile, Gaethje earned a fight with Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, which took place earlier in June.

Despite coming in as the underdog, Gaethje dominated Topuria, forcing him to quit on his stool between rounds four and five and, in doing so, becoming the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

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It was later confirmed that the 29-year-old suffered non-displaced fractures to both orbital bones and a broken nose, as well as losing vision in both eyes. He is expected to be sidelined for several months.

While Gaethje has vowed to continue fighting despite being 37, he has yet to directly call out a specific opponent. However, Arman Tsarukyan is considered the No. 1 contender and is ranked third in both the new Meta UFC Rankings and the traditional media rankings.

However, the American said he would not be willing to give Topuria a rematch.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Gaethje said: "No, he doesn't get a rematch.

"He can try, but he doesn't get one. He quit on the stool. He quit twice, I stopped him twice. What else do I have to f****** do?"

Pimblett claims Gaethje 'fouled' him at UFC 324

And it appears Pimblett fancies another shot at Gaethje, with the Liverpudlian even suggesting 'The Highlight' delivered illegal blows during the pair's first contest.

"Weird to say, but on Monday morning, watching that [the White House card], I came in more motivated," Pimblett said on his YouTube channel.

"I went five rounds with Gaethje and was pushing the pace until the very end. I didn't quit. I kept coming forward, trying to finish the fight. And I think I won rounds three and five, so he beat me 3-2. One of the judges agreed.

"And if a lot of different things hadn't happened in that fight, like eye gouges and low blows, and then faking low blows, it would have been a different fight. We've got to get on with it now. There's no point crying over spilt 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."