This is the UFC 324 live blog for Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, the interim lightweight championship main event bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Gaethje and Pimblett, No. 5 and No. 11 (tied) at 155 pounds respectively in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, vie for an interim title with undisputed champion Ilia Topuria currently on hiatus from competition for personal reasons.
If Gaethje (26-5) is victorious Saturday night, he’ll notch a unique place for himself in the UFC history books
as the only fighter to become interim champion twice. That would just be the first step in a bigger goal for Gaethje as he hopes to cap off his illustrious career with an undisputed title to his name, possibly in a marquee slot at the upcoming UFC White House event.
Pimblett (23-3) is 7-0 in the UFC and looks to silence the doubters by putting gold around his waist, interim or otherwise. Recent wins over Michael Chandler, King Green, and Tony Ferguson have continued to raise the Englishman’s profile while also raising questions as to whether he is benefiting from facing past-their-prime opposition. Beating the always dangerous Gaethje will go a long way towards boosting Pimblett’s credentials.
Check out the UFC 324 live blog for Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett below.
Preamble
Yup, it’s about to happen: Either Gaethje becomes an interim champion twice-over, or Pimblett shocks the world and lays claim to some form of UFC title. Are you ready???
