UFC president Dana White has said that British fighter Paddy Pimblett (23-3) knows how to find a way to win, ahead of his interim lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje (26-5) on Jan. 24.
Speaking on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show, White warned against ruling out Pimblett: “You got Gaethje and Paddy, who are in the top five fighting for the interim title to see who will face Ilia Topuria.
“Gaethje’s never been in a bad fight, ever. And you know Paddy Pimblett, he’s always the underdog when he goes in yet he’s undefeated in the UFC, and figures out a way to win.”
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Nicknamed ‘The Baddy’, Pimblett is fifth in UFC’s lightweight division, and will need to defeat 37-year-old Gaethje, ranked fourth, for the chance to take on division champion Topuria.
Topuria recently posted on X that he would take on the winner of Saturday’s bout later in the year, having stepped away from the sport with legal and personal issues.
Merseyside-based Pimblett made his UFC debut in 2021, having won all seven of his fights since signing with the organisation, the most recent being a dominant performance to stop Michael Chandler in the third round at UFC 314 — seen by many as the best win of his career.
The 31-year-old recently told ESPN: “I see me finishing him. I’ve had visions of so many different ways this fight will finish, I’ve got a funny feeling when I knock him out, which a lot of people are laughing at me for, but I’ve got a feeling I’m going to knock him out.”
Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the interim lightweight belt on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Las Vegas will play host to the fight this weekend, where bantamweight Sean O’Malley (18-3) will meet Song Yadong (22-8-1) in the co-main event.
“O’Malley loves to stand up and strike and knock people out. He’s taking on Song Yadong who loves to do the same thing,” White added.
“That fight should be fireworks, It’s a great card, and we believe it’s an incredible first fight.”
The main card is expected to begin around midnight (GMT) Sunday morning.
