The UFC will open 2026 with UFC 324, featuring an interim lightweight title fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje in the main event. With an unblemished UFC record, Pimblett will be entering the octagon as the favorite. But before that, is there any gameplan through which Gaethje can turn the fight around? To answer that, UFC featherweight veteran Arnold Allen shared his two cents.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, host Andrew Whitelaw had the opportunity to get Arnold Allen’s thoughts on several interesting topics around the UFC community. Allen, who will also feature on the UFC 324 card against Jean Silva, gave his insights about the main event of the matchcard.

Arnold Allen wants Paddy Pimblett to stay cautious against Gaethje

“I do think Paddy gets it done. Paddy’s just, he’s too dynamic. He’s got too many options to win. He has got the number in the grappling. He’s probably got the advantage in striking. I think Gaethje has the advantage, maybe in a bit of power,” Allen stated.

Arnold Allen and Pimblett both hail from England and share a strong bond. And because of that, the featherweight star also knows how prone ‘The Baddy’ is to hitting. Allen noted: “One big thing, obviously, Paddy does get hit, and he does hang his chin up in the air, and that is scary when you’re sitting there looking at someone like Gaethje.”

The assessment of ‘Almighty’ also comes from Gaethje’s history of shutting down opponents with powerful strikes and slams. Take his knockout wins over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 and Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 as examples.

Having said that, Allen just highlighted a weakness in Pimblett’s game that Gaethje could exploit. But as it seems, ‘The Highlight’ already has a plan in mind to overcome the undefeated lightweight contender at UFC 324.

Justin Gaethje lays out his plans to beat Paddy Pimblett

Justin Gaethje’s recent form in the UFC is something that he would like to make look more impressive in terms of consistency. He stands on a 3-2 record in his last five fights with wins over Rafael Fiziev twice and Dustin Poirier. Gaethje’s upcoming bout against Paddy Pimblett not only presents him with an opportunity to win the interim lightweight title but also shuts down a promising contender in the division. And for that, he is ready to put forward his best gameplan.

“Ultimately, it’s all cardio. I’m trying to get them tired. When they are tired, I can do anything I want to them. That’s where I got the Fiziev fight, the Chandler fight, and fortunately for them, it was a three-round fight… I really want to get this kid specifically to those rounds, and I specifically want to hurt this kid badly… Can’t wait to f**k this kid up. I’ve been telling myself he is going to hurt me, so that I go to the most primal place that I can,” Gaethje told ESPN MMA.

Although Pimblett has never fought a full five-round fight in the UFC, he is also quite confident to outclass Gaethje if it reaches that point. However, his risky habit in a recent training session had the fans worried just before his interim title fight at UFC 324. All these conversations have built more excitement around the upcoming fight. But the question remains the same: who will take home the coveted interim lightweight championship? Let us know in the comments!