Paddy Pimblett blames eye gouges, low blows for Gaethje loss

Paddy Pimblett has put Justin Gaethje's recent title win in perspective by pointing to what he says were unchecked fouls during their five-round battle in January.

Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria in four rounds at UFC White House to unify the lightweight belt, a performance that reminded Pimblett of how competitive his own interim title loss was five months earlier. Speaking in a vlog reported by MMA Fighting, Pimblett said he went the distance with the now-undisputed champion and believes he took rounds three and five on at least one scorecard. "I went five rounds with Gaethje and was pushing the pace to the very end," he said. "And if a lot of different things didn't happen in that fight like eye gouges and low blows and then faking low blows, then it would have been a different fight."

Saint Denis stands between Pimblett and title shot

The Liverpool fighter meets Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. Saint Denis has rattled off four straight finishes after dropping two in 2024, overwhelming opponents with a pressure grappling game. Pimblett suggested the Frenchman might hesitate to shoot takedowns out of fear of a submission. He also acknowledged that even a win over Saint Denis probably does not earn him the next crack at Gaethje, with Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira still in the mix.

Pimblett told his audience that Tsarukyan is the likeliest next challenger regardless of how the title picture shook out at UFC White House. He floated the idea of an Oliveira rematch with Gaethje or a Tsarukyan fight with the recently dethroned Topuria as alternate routes the promotion might take. "I'd love to beat BSD and get a rematch with Justin, but I can't really demand that after a one-fight win streak," he said, per the report.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Morning Report: Paddy Pimblett claims ‘eye gouges’ and ‘low blows’ contributed to loss to Justin Gaethje