UFC has made a comeback with UFC 324 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will be facing Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett for the main event on January 25, 2026.
Before Saturday’s interim lightweight title fight, Paddy Pimblett made derogatory remarks about Justin Gaethje’s weight cut during the final face-off. The pair exchanged a handshake before playing up to the crowd.
Who is Justin Gaethje
Justin Ray Gaethje is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA). In the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he fights for the Lightweight division.
The former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion became a professional in 2011. On November 18, 2025, he ranked at No.4 in the UFC Lightweight rankings list.
The former UFC ‘BMF’ titleholder is also the second fighter to win the BMF belt, the first being Jorge Masvidal.
He also wrestled UFC fighters, Georges St-Pierre, Clay Guida and Donald Cerrone as a freshman while being enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado.
His professional debut came on August 20, 2011 after achieving a 7-0 amateur record. The UFC Lightweight Champion won against future UFC fighter Kevin Croom in the first round through a Knockout (KO).
Justin Gaethje is widely recognised for his KO punches and powerful leg kicks. His fighting style has earned him one of the best wrestling titles in UFC.
In an interview, he revealed that he underwent an eye surgery, photorefractive keratectomy, to fix his eyesight in 2016.
Former MMA artist Dan Hardy verified the UFC Lightweight Champion’s story by saying that his eyesight was so poor that he had to be in physical contact with his opponent to understand what he was hitting.
