Justin Gaethje hoisted the interim lightweight championship for the second time in his career with a classic performance at UFC 324. He defeated a young and hungry Paddy Pimblett at T-Mobile Arena in front of a packed crowd. While ‘The Highlight’ looked sharp at 37 years old, fans noticed a surprising wrinkle in his game plan. He barely threw any leg kicks. Why?

Gaethje is widely regarded as one of the best leg kickers in the lightweight division, as he used them effectively against almost every opponent so far. But when he leaned heavily on his boxing against Pimblett and stayed away from one of his signature weapons, it raised plenty of questions. In a post-fight press conference, Gaethje explained that his previous experience against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 played a major role in the decision.

Justin Gaethje reveals his gameplan against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324

“The only reason Fiziev took me down is because he caught my kicks, and I wasn’t going to allow Paddy to get an easy takedown. And he was chopping my leg up,” the two-time interim lightweight champion said at the UFC 324 post-fight press conference.

The plan worked to perfection. Gaethje threw just nine leg kicks compared to Paddy Pimblett’s 25. He kept Pimblett’s back against the fence with his pressure and found success as he controlled the pace of the match and even took ‘Baddy’ down on the mat several times. The lightweight slugger later revealed that the entire strategy came from his longtime coach, Trevor Wittman. 

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“It was the coach’s plan that, ‘I don’t want to see kicks till the third, fourth round, until you have him moving backwards. If he’s moving backwards, you can kick him.’ And yeah, it was a great plan,” Gaethje added at the UFC 324 post-fight presser.

Gaethje stuck to the game plan and walked away with the belt, offering another clear example of smart teamwork. Still, despite landing plenty of heavy shots with his boxing, he could not score the knockout. Was that frustrating for him? The interim champion addressed that as well. 

‘The Highlight’ opens up about not getting the knockout

Before the fight, fans did not expect the UFC 324 lightweight headliner to go the distance. That belief only grew once Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett started throwing down from the opening bell. With heavy strikes flying and ‘The Highlight’ scoring two knockdowns, it looked like ‘The Baddy’s chin would eventually give way. But to everyone’s surprise, the Scouser stayed on his feet until the final horn. 

For a relentless Gaethje who emptied his arsenal in search of a finish, frustration would have been understandable. However, according to the lightweight star, he felt none of that. Instead, his coaches helped keep him composed during the chaos.

“No. No. I just gotta stay in it. My coaches do a good job at keeping me focused and keeping me in the fight. But I have been here, and I have done it too many times to think that he’s over or he’s quitting. I knew, I could feel that this guy was trying to hurt me the whole time, and if I took my foot off the pedal for a second, he was on my a—,” ‘The Highlight’ added at the post-fight press conference.

Justin Gaethje has been through similar fights before, including his bout against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. In that fight, he stayed patient, avoided forcing the finish early, and eventually secured the stoppage late while winning the interim title for the first time.

So even without a knockout, Gaethje’s ability to remain calm under pressure reflects years of experience against elite competition. That earned composure showed once again against Pimblett, as he weathered the storm and claimed the interim 155-pound belt for the second time at the first event of 2026.

That said, what did you think of Justin Gaethje’s performance against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324? Is he back in prime form, and can he carry that momentum into a potential clash with Ilia Topuria? Let us know in the comments section below.