Paddy Pimblett admits 'ego' led to downfall against Justin Gaethje

Paddy Pimblett took a beating against Justin Gaethje. | Getty/UFC

While Paddy Pimblett displayed heart by going toe-to-toe against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 324 headliner, it wasn’t exactly the best tactical approach.

The end result was a unanimous decision defeat, as Gaethje battered “The Baddy” on the feet for the better part of five rounds to claim the interim lightweight crown. Pimblett might have been better served trying to make Gaethje grapple, but he wanted to prove a point against one of the sport’s top all-action competitors. As a result, it’s Gaethje who gets a chance to unify the lightweight title when he faces Ilia Topuria in the UFC White House main event on June 14.

“To be honest, with the last fight, I think it was a little bit of me ego got in the way,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “I wanted to knock him out. I wanted to strike with him and show everyone I can strike. I wanted a war. When you’re trying to take him down in the fifth round after he bludgeoned you at the end of the second, it’s quite hard. Back to fight IQ. Back to the game plan and not just swinging recklessly.”

Comfort in the Chaos

Pimblett has recovered from the battle against Gaethje and appears to be on the verge of making his Octagon return. Though nothing has been officially confirmed, the Englishman has hinted that he will face Benoit St. Denis in his next outing. Looking back, Pimblett believes things might have gone a little too smoothly during his camp for Gaethje — something he hopes to change this time around.

“I had a perfect camp for the last fight, and that never went perfect in the cage, did it?” Pimblett said. “So, I think getting back to having a little bit of a mad, disruptive fight camp, when I had me best fights. and , both fight camps weren’t perfect, but everything ended up perfect when I got in the Octagon.