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‘The Highlight’ delivered yet another classic fight in taking the unanimous decision on Saturday night in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Justin Gaethje is UFC interim lightweight champion once again. Gaethje outlasted Paddy Pimblett in an instant classic in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 324 to claim a piece of the title in hopes of eventually getting to unify for full champ Ilia Topuria.
The fight, which headlined the first event of the landmark media rights deal between UFC and Paramount Skydance, saw wild momentum swings as Pimblett would largely control the action in the early rounds, only for Gaethje to land massive power punches that rocked Pimblett.
Despite the damage done by Gaethje’s bombs, Pimblett continued trying to come forward and land his own power shots, often rattling Gaethje while also mixing in heavy leg kicks. This made for surreal moments where Pimblett would seem on the verge of being knocked out only to suddenly snap back to his senses and begin the wild exchanges all over again.
“I don’t think that his gameplan was the greatest, “UFC president and CEO Dana White said. “Obviously he is tough, he is durable, especially against Gaethje. You’re eating those punches against him. It’s one thing to say, ‘I believe in my chin and I’m gonna go toe-to-toe against this guy, but when it starts to not work and you’ve got two rounds left, you might want to try to take him down and submit him.”
Gaethje, who previously held the interim lightweight title as well as the ceremonial BMF title, showed tremendous heart of his own. Pimblett landed more significant strikes overall, according to UFC Stats, edging out Gaethje 156 to 144. Gaethje dealt with Pimblett’s steady stream of offense and brutal leg kicks by returning fire and doing so with more power.
In the end, the official scorecards read 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, all for Gaethje, who was able to come close to finishing the fight in three of five rounds. That damage was enough to secure Gaethje his second stint as interim champion and hopefully set him up for another crack at becoming undisputed lightweight champion for the first time in his career.
Gaethje has twice come up short in bids to become undisputed champion, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 and Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. It remains to be seen if lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who is currently sidelined while dealing with a bitter divorce, will defend his title or if he will move up to welterweight in search of a fight with 170-pound champion Islam Makhachev.
“Hey, Scousers do not get knocked out,” Gaethje said after the fight, referencing Pimblett’s iconic line. “That Scouser was not going to get knocked out. … Yeah, my coach was definitely upset with me after the first round. I just love this shit so much, it’s really hard to control myself sometimes. Tough kid, dangerous kid. I had to steal his momentum sometimes.”
Gaethje, who came into Saturday night as an underdog and fought against his coach’s advice, had a simple view of getting the victory and taking home UFC gold once again.
“This is a crazy sport and an amazing f—ing life,” Gaethje said.
CBS Sports was with you all night from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with results, recaps and highlights below. Thanks for stopping by.
UFC 324 fight card, results
- Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
- Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis via second-round TKO (punches)
- Natalia Silva def. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Complete UFC 324 fight card with all preliminary bouts and results
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Official result: Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
A tremendous win for Gaethje and a great fight from both men. An instant classic to kick off UFC’s Paramount Era
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje — Round 5: 10-9 Pimblett (48-47 Gaethje)
Geathje slipped after stuffing a takedown and Pimblett used that moment to unload a big flurry. Gaethje came back with another of his huge right hands. Pimblett would again charge forward with a flurry of punches and then looked for a takedown, nearly putting Gaethje down before Gaethje managed to scramble back to his feet. Gaethje landed with both fists after breaking the body lock and then he was the one to initiate the clinch. Pimblett scored with a few good punches and had Gaethje moving backward. Gaethje grabbed another clinch along the cage before they broke free in the final 10 seconds. Pimblett landed a good final flurry before slipping to the canvas. A tremendous fight.Â
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje — Round 4: 10-9 Gaethje (39-37)
Pimblett landed a solid left hook and then a heavy kick to the body but Gaethje came back with a whippping overhand right. Gaethje landed another brutal shot right to Pimblett’s chin, but Pimblett ate the shot and went for a takedown, which Gaethje stuffed. Pimblett started to find his footing again, but ate another right from Gaethje. Gaethje continued to land nasty shots along the cage and Pimblett continued to take them and try to throw back. Pimblett landed a flurry late in the round but slipped to the canvas allowing Gaethje to have the last word in a big round for the American.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje — Round 3: 10-9 Pimblett (29-28 Gaethje)
Pimblett connected with a straight right hand, but was clearly a bit more gunshy after two rounds of experienceing Gaethje’s power. Pimblett also continued to work Gaethje’s legs with kicks, though Gaethje didn’t seem to be feeling the effects. Pimblett connected with a nice flurry of punches and managed to slip a few from Gaethje. Gaethje began to mix in some of his own heavy leg kicks. Pimblett landed a chopping right hand as Gaethje bent at the waist and then stuck a hard left in Gaethje’s face. Pimblett landed a hard uppercut. Pimblett went for a flying knee and Gaethje immediately reacted to signal a low blow. Pimblett drilled another leg kick home and then a few to the body.Â
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje — Round 2: 10-9 Gaethje (20-18)
Pimblett opened up with a chopping right hand and a front kick to the body. Gaethje landed a cracking left hand that Pimblett ate well. Pimblett again landed heavy leg kicks, but Gaethje snapped him down with a front headlock. Gaethje connected with a hard left hand as Pimblett landed another leg kick. Both men continued to trade brutal shots along the cage. Gaethje again grabbed a front headlock to drag Pimblett down and wear on him. Gaethje again landed a right hand and Pimblett went down to the canvas. Gaethje worked some ground and pound as the seconds ticked away in the round. Pimblett survived, but a big Gaethje moment was again the key to the round and Pimblett is also bleeding from his nose and above his eye.
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje — Round 1: 10-9 Gaethje
Gaethje pushed forward in the opening moments, but it was Pimblett who landed the first shot, with a looping overhand right. Pimblett then drove a leg kick home, landed a jab and then another leg kick. Pimblett started to flurry but left himself open for a Gaethje left. Pimblett came right bakc with a good flurry and a knee. Gaethje started to charge forward and landed a series of shots along the cage. Pimblett dropped to the canvas and Gaethje followed him, landing some shots on the ground before stepping back and forcing Pimblett to his feet. Despite the knockdown, Pimblett continued throwing with power and risking the counter shots of Gaethje.
Gaethje drove forward into a body lock along the cage. Pimblett landed an uppercut and a chopping right before a body kick. There was a brief pause after Gaethje accidentally poked Pimblett in the eye but Pimblett was able to continue. Pimblett connected with a pair of heavy leg kicks before Gaethje trapped him along the cage and the two engaged in a wild exchange. A tough and competitive round but Gaethje may have edged it with the biggest moment on the knockdown.
It’s time for the UFC 324 main event!
Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje, five rounds for the interim lightweight championship.
Pimblett is the favorite at -245, but he’s facing a dangerous man who always brings the action in Gaethje. The winner will be in line for a shot at Ilia Topuria, assuming Topuria defends his lightweight championship.
Official result: Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
All credit to Yadong for making a legitimate case to have earned the decision, but O’Malley was more damaging with his strikes even as he moved away from Yadong much of the fight. When O’Malley decided to engage, he punished Yadong.
Yadong is young and can absolutely come back and make some more noise at bantamweight.
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong — Round 3: 10-9 O’Malley (29-28)
Both men missed with wild right hands before both connected with leg kicks. O’Malley got in with a right hand as Yadong landed another leg kick. Yadong connected with a glancing left hook as he continued to stalk O’Malley around the Octagon. O’Malley stuffed a Yadong takedown. O’Malley slipped under a spinning backfist and landed a hard straight right hand. Another right hand followed, and then a knee to the head. O’Malley again sat down on a right hand. Those final moments likely secured the fight for O’Malley.
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong — Round 2: 10-9 Yadong (19-19)
Both men threw leg kicks early, though it appeared Yadong checked O’Malley’s kick, causing O’Malley to stumble. Yadong just missed with a winging right hand. Yadong caught an O’Malley kick and pulled him into a right hand. Yadong again went for a takedown, this time much earlier in the round, but O’Malley was able to defend, forcing Yadong to work a rear body lock along the cage. Yadong eventually got to the front of O’Malley’s body and secured a double-leg takedown. O’Malley was able to get up quickly, but he ate a left hand from Yadong. O’Malley landed a kick to the midsection. Another close round, and these scores could be all over the place.
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong — Round 1: 10-9 O’Malley
Yadong immediately landed a leg kick after touching gloves. O’Malley threw a kick to the body before they both began to exchange leg kicks. Yadong tried to flurry forward with punches but came up short, as did an attempt at a spinning wheel kick. O’Malley used a lot of lateral movement along the cage, forcing Yadong to chace, but neither man was particularly active during those stretches. O’Malley landed a solid leg kick and then a front kick to the stomach. Yadong landed a kick to the low calf and then drove through a double-leg takedown to end up on top of O’Malley. Yadong didn’t have much time to work with after the takedown, however, and O’Malley took no real damage.Â
Up next: Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong
We’re to the evening’s co-main event. Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is looking to bounce back from back-to-back title fight losses to Merab Dvalishvili by taking on a fellow striker in Yadong. With Dvalishvili losing the bantamweight title to Petr Yan, a win could get O’Malley into a title fight without facing the man who has proven to be his kryptonite.
Official result: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis via TKO, Round 2
Acosta landed a heavy right hand that appeared to rattle Lewis briefly, but Lewis came back firing his own rights. Acosta drove a heavy leg kick in and then went back to working the jab. Acosta fired in more jabs before bringing a straight right behind it. Lewis connected with a wide left hook, but the connection wasn’t entirely clean and Acosta showed the fans that he was not hurt. Lewis missed on a punch and his legs slid out from under him. Lewis then simply went to his back, and Acosta jumped on him to deliver a flurry of strikes to force the stoppage.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis — Round 1: 10-9 Cortes-Acosta
Lewis opened with a head kick and a leg kick, both of which missed. Acosta landed a leg kick of his own. Lewis threw another head kick, this time a jumping one. Lewis continued trying to throw the big kick and not connecting. Acosta tried to constantly walk Lewis down toward the cage, throwing the occasional jab and stepping away if Lewis got too far inside. Acosta landed another leg kick and a right hand just glanced off the top of Lewis’ head. Acosta caught a Lewis kick and used it to pull Lewis to the ground. Acosta stood over Lewis and threw one punch before backing away and telling Lewis to get up. Lewis just missed with another kick and several punches before Acosta landed another jab. Not an exciting round, but that’s what Acosta wanted.
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