Justin Gaethje has long been revered as one of the best UFC lightweights the promotion has ever produced. Other than a select few, ‘The Highlight’ has dominated most of his opponents with grueling power and sharp, precise striking. However, heading into UFC 324, Paddy Pimblett carries the favorite’s tag. Why? Oddsmakers believe the Liverpudlian’s improved ground game could be a little too much for the Arizona native. Naturally, the former interim champion does not agree.

Across nearly a decade in the UFC, Gaethje has been submitted just twice. The first came against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, followed by Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. Outside of that, the 155-pound slugger was taken down by Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, but he was not choked out. Because of that, ‘The Highlight’ firmly believes he has little to fear from Pimblett’s grappling, leaning on his own wrestling roots. 

Justin Gaethje dismisses Paddy Pimblett’s grappling by comparing him to Khabib

“Luckily, I grew up a grappler. I grew up a wrestler. I’m one of the hardest guys to ever take down. You know, Fiziev caught two of my kicks, that’s how he took me down. Outside of that, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only guy to take me down. I ended up on the ground with Charles Oliveira because of a punch. And I’m as athletic and as hungry as I have ever been. And I know how hard I’m to take down,” Justin Gaethje told Adam Catterall of TNT Sports.

For the unversed, Gaethje is a Division I NCAA wrestler from Colorado University, giving him a strong wrestling base. But he has primarily used that background to build elite takedown defense rather than offensive wrestling, and the numbers back it up. Gaethje boasts a solid 68 percent TD in the UFC, while his takedown accuracy sits at 14 percent.

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However, as Justin Gaethje inches closer to facing Paddy Pimblett on the first Paramount+ CBS card, ‘The Highlight’ looks ready to tweak his approach to takedown attempts. Drawing from his experience against Oliveira, the 37-year-old veteran has made it clear that he is willing to welcome ‘The Baddy’s takedowns. He does not fear grappling exchanges on the canvas and believes the Liverpudlian is human, not an inhuman dominator like Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“After the Charles Oliveira fight, I was done telling myself that I’m gonna stop every takedown. And I really bought into understanding and working my a— off to understand these grappling positions. And I do have confidence that I do grapple with him and not get submitted by him if he does end up getting on top of me. If I drop him, I do need to get on top of him. I need to not be hesitant or fearful of the grappling because I have been working so hard. Ultimately, he’s just a human, and he’s not Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Gaethje added.

While the lightweight veteran sounds confident, it is also worth noting that Pimblett owns several solid submission wins and has shown effective ground-and-pound in the UFC. That makes this matchup far more intriguing than it may seem at first glance. However, as Pimblett continues to receive backing heading into the fight, his fellow compatriot is not convinced he can dominate Gaethje inside the Octagon on January 24. 

Michael Bisping evaluates ‘The Highlight’s chances at UFC 324

Ahead of the UFC 324 headliner, Paddy Pimblett’s grappling edge is getting plenty of attention. At the same time, Justin Gaethje’s striking advantage seems to be flying a bit under the radar. Still, there are voices like Michael Bisping who are factoring that in, and the former champion believes it could play a major role on the first Paramount+ CBS card.

“It’s a tricky one for Paddy, because I don’t think he has the wrestling to take him down. And I don’t think he has the striking to stand there and go toe-to-toe with Justin. If Paddy allows himself to get boxed into a corner, if Justin cuts off the cage and backs Paddy up against the fence and forces them to trade, Justin’s got bigger power,” ‘The Count’ said in his breakdown video.

“Justin’s got better boxing. That’s what he built his entire career on, but I think if Paddy can use his height, his range, his speed, use his kicks – and that’s another thing, as well. Justin Gaethje’s got some of the best leg kicks in the game,” the former middleweight champion added.

Bisping makes a sharp observation here. While Paddy Pimblett stands as a big lightweight compared to many in the division, Justin Gaethje consistently closes the distance with punishing leg kicks against similarly sized opponents. He leaned on that exact game plan against Rafael Fiziev in his last outing and controlled almost every exchange with authority.

That said, with ‘The Baddy’ showing more refined takedown attempts lately, the big question remains. Can the 155-pound slugger consistently shut it down when it matters most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.