Paddy Pimblett wants a future rematch with Justin Gaethje one week after suffering his first defeat at UFC 324. He lost the fight by unanimous decision in the main event to Gaethje. Gaethje was awarded the interim lightweight championship.
Pimblett posted a video on his YouTube channel congratulating Gaethje for the win. However, he made it clear that he wants another opportunity to reclaim the title. Here is what he said. “Congrats to Justin Gaethje. I did say before the fight, ‘I want the best version of Justin Gaethje,’ and that Justin Gaethje turned up, so hats off to him.”
He also expressed his desire to support Gaethje in the title unification bout against current champion Ilia Topuria. Along with this, he hopes to get a rematch against Gaethje.
In this video, he also revealed that eye damage was the only issue with him after the fight. “The only thing that’s wrong with me is my eyeballs from fingernails scratching my eyeballs.” He said that he has yet to rewatch the fight. The reason for that is that he remains frustrated with his performance and other aspects of the bout. He also mentioned that there were a couple of things in the fight that have pissed him off.
Right after the fight, he was sent to the hospital. It was his first loss since Cage Warriors 96 in 2018. This ended his seven fight winning streak in the UFC. His opponent, Gaethje, became the first fighter in the history to win an interim title at lightweight. Gaethje now has a record of 10-5 in the UFC. On the other hand, Pimblett has 7-1 in the UFC.
Despite wanting a second bout with Gaethje, Pimblett admitted that it might not happen at all. “I hope he wins the undisputed title off Ilia and hopefully we can run it back, even though I don’t think he’s got too many fights left.” He knows that Gaethje is in later stages of his career. So, if Gaethje fights with Ilia and potentially Max Holloway before retiring, Pimblett may never get his chance.
He added. “I just hope that in the future he can step up and have a rematch with me, but it’s one of those things. I know he’s on the arse-end of his career, so if he just ends up fighting Ilia and fighting Max and retiring, it’s one of them.”
He wants to use this humbling experience as a boost to rebuild his career.