"Off a touch of the gloves, Gaethje held center, while Pimblett opened the action with a low kick. Pimblett let his right hand go, while Gaethje walked forward, eating another leg kick. Gaethje got inside, landing a solid right hand, going to the body after that. Paddy then got his hands going, and mixed in a kick that Justin ate as he ducked in."
"Gaethje followed up, landing heavy leather! Paddy went down, and Gaethje was all over him! Pimblett covered up best he could, with Gaethje locking up a front headlock with one arm. Pimblett however would survive, getting back up as Gaethje backed off. A short jab for Gaethje saw Pimblett sit down, more of a slip. Gaethje was showing Pimblett no respect."
"With just under two minutes left in the opening round, Gaethje clinched up from the back, but he didn't really pursue a takedown. Pimblett fired a leg kick, then an uppercut. Gaethje fanned on a right, and Pimblett signaled that he'd been poked. The poke appeared to connect just prior to the right hand; after a pause, Pimblett was good to go, while ref Marc Goddard warned Gaethje over the infraction, saying he'd take a point if it happened again."
UFC 324 introduced the Paramount+ era with doubled post-fight bonuses and a new $25,000 finish bonus for stoppages. Justin Gaethje, a former interim title holder, sought another shot at undisputed gold while Paddy Pimblett pursued his first UFC title opportunity. Gaethje pressed center, absorbed low kicks, and landed a solid right to the body before following with heavy leather that knocked Pimblett down. Pimblett recovered and weathered pressure and a front headlock. A late warning occurred after an apparent eye poke, but action resumed with Gaethje maintaining forward pressure throughout the opening round.
Read at Cageside Press
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