"In reality, it was nearly nine years ago, and Gaethje has been at the top of the division ever since. He's won an interim title before, opposite Tony Ferguson in 2020, and infamously threw it on the ground. He's come up short twice in attempts to earn the undisputed UFC lightweight championship, but did lay claim to the "BMF" title for a while, defeating Dustin Poirier to hold that belt."
"What Gaethje truly wants is one last run at an undisputed title, and that starts with Paddy Pimblett on Saturday night. Pimblett, once a Cage Warriors star, has taken the UFC by storm, rising quickly up the rankings in terms of both opponents, and star power. Paddy "The Baddy" has been electrifying and entertaining since day one, but though he's faced the likes of King Green, Tony Ferguson, and Michael Chandler, Gaethje is a different beast."
UFC 324 opens a new year and a new era for the promotion, featuring multiple old-guard versus new-guard matchups. Justin Gaethje seeks one last run at an undisputed lightweight title after interim gold and two unsuccessful title attempts, and he faces Paddy Pimblett in the main event. Pimblett rose from Cage Warriors to rapid UFC stardom and has faced notable opponents while building star power. Staff picks for the event include Allen vs. Silva, Silva vs. Namajunas, Cortes-Acosta vs. Lewis, O'Malley vs. Yadong, and Gaethje vs. Pimblett. Picks show skepticism toward Arnold Allen and strong support for Natalia Silva.
Read at Cageside Press
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