The Fight UFC Needed: Gaethje vs. Pimblett Delivers on a New Era’s First Night

When thinking about the standout moments that occurred at UFC 324, there are various things you can point to — for better or worse. The night started with back-to-back last-second first-round finishes. There was the Blink-182 soundtrack and presentation to mark the first Paramount card. Dominick Cruz was announced as the first Class of 2026 Hall of Fame inductee. There was, yes, the major ad presence.

But then there was the main event that everything built toward — Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title.

Months ago, the hope was Ilia Topuria might have been defending his title on this card. Instead, an awful custody battle has forced him away from the Octagon, with this fight determining his next challenger.

This fight also meant something to each fighter personally. Gaethje has said his time is running out, and he’s making what seems to be one last run to become a UFC world champion. For Pimblett, it was the biggest fight of his career and an opportunity to prove he belonged among the elite talents at lightweight. And for the popularity that Pimblett has, an interim title would be another step toward superstardom.

Even though it was an interim title fight — and the UFC’s history with interim titles is a bit of a mixed bag — there were plenty of stakes to this contest, especially since it was the first main event of a new era.

Fortunately, Gaethje and Pimblett more than delivered.

The two produced a highly entertaining, back-and-forth war. Gaethje was in clear control for the first two rounds, landing powerful shots and having answers for whatever Pimblett threw at him. Though Pimblett was stunned on a couple of occasions in the first 10 minutes, he continued to fight back and come forward.

And Pimblett’s toughness was a theme of this fight. Even when Gaethje threw his strongest shots, even when Pimblett appeared to be in trouble, he didn’t get finished. He continued to fight back and scared Gaethje a couple of times.

In fact, Gaethje appeared to be gassed by the third round. He needed to take the round off, and Pimblett made his intentions known with his jab-based offense. He also looked to batter Gaethje’s legs with a number of leg kicks throughout the fight.

Pimblett landed strong again early in the fourth — only for Gaethje to knock him down and rock him again. With nearly 300 significant strikes landed combined between them entering the final round, both brought everything they still had in the tank in a final attempt to either impress the judges or get the finish.

Gaethje ended up getting the nod, becoming the first UFC fighter in history to win an interim title in the same division twice. While it isn’t the undisputed belt, it’s still another piece to add to Gaethje’s legacy.

And for Pimblett, even his biggest doubters should have to admit he is legit with his endurance and striking. He may have tasted defeat for the first time in the UFC — and for the first time since September 2018 in Cage Warriors — but he proved he is an elite talent. And the next time he fights for gold, perhaps that will be when the Paddy Party is taken to another level.

Maybe it wasn’t the main event people hoped to see on the marquee when the UFC’s first Paramount card was announced. Maybe the rising star didn’t get his win on the biggest stage.

But it was the fight the UFC needed to kick off its new era.