"They had a Nurmagomedov, a former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo and a highly touted prospect in Ateba Gautier, all fight on the prelims. In the main event, an all-time action hero, a man with a legitimate claim as the most entertaining fighter ever, Justin Gaethje, put on yet another classic in a hard-fought win against Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett to become a two-time interim champion."
"It's difficult to decipher what being a two-time interim champion means for Justin Gaethje's legacy, but what Saturday did provide was yet another reminder that this class of lightweight action heroes is possibly the most special era of any division ever. Gaethje, along with the Charles Oliveiras, Dustin Poiriers, etc. of this lightweight class have been challenged numerous times by the so-called new wave of 155ers, but they have kept giving them the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag."
The UFC stacked its first Paramount card with notable names on the prelims, including a Nurmagomedov, former champion Deiveson Figueiredo, and prospect Ateba Gautier. Justin Gaethje headlined the card, delivering a classic performance to defeat Paddy Pimblett and claim the interim lightweight title for a second time. Gaethje's win reinforces the dominance and entertainment value of the current lightweight cohort, featuring veterans like Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier resisting the influx of newer 155-pound contenders. Gaethje is positioned to pursue a unification bout with Ilia Topuria, though a temporary defense remains possible. Sean O'Malley lost consecutive fights to Merab Dvalishvili, clouding his bantamweight title outlook, and Petr Yan's upset and title regain influenced O'Malley's path and his scheduled bout with Song Yadong.
Read at Cageside Press
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]