The UFC-Paramount era kicked off with a banger UFC 324 event on Saturday. And the main event of the card saw Justin Gaethje winning the interim lightweight title by defeating Paddy Pimblett. It was a hard-fought five-round clash and garnered reactions from many in the community, including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ilia Topuria.

While Nurmagomedov is a retired legend from the UFC lightweight division, Topuria currently reigns as the champion. And both of them are quite aware of how a fight should be in the 155-pound weight category. Now, although Gaethje secured a unanimous decision win over Pimblett at UFC 324, both Nurmagomedov and Topuria dropped contrasting reactions to the result.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ilia Topuria react to Justin Gaethje’s win

“@Justin_Gaethje absolutely legend, my congratulations 👏👏👏 What a fight 👏 And don’t forget Justin almost 38 years old,” Nurmagomedov wrote on X. Gaethje has been part of the UFC for over a decade and even fought retired legends like ‘The Eagle’ and Dustin Poirier. Now, while those two have hung up their gloves, ‘The Highlight’ continues to outwork upcoming contenders.

Meanwhile, Topuria shared a slightly contrasting take on the UFC 324 main event result: “Little sausage, the only thing you had to do was beat a 38-year-old guy. You just lost the biggest paycheck of your life. You were going to get rich if you won. Justin, all I can say is congratulations… and I’d like to tell you to get ready, but you’re screwed no matter what.”

With Pimblett and Topuria trading verbal jabs at each other since early 2022 and standing face to face after Ilia Topuria’s win at UFC 317, the two were just a step away from facing each other inside the Octagon. But the match looks unlikely to happen in the near future after UFC 324. Gaethje’s experienced approach made it difficult for the scouser, and this would likely set up a title unification bout between Gaethje and Topuria at the White House Card.

While Topuria wanted Pimblett to win, a top lightweight contender who got bypassed for the fight also had his say on Pimblett’s performance.

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Arman Tsarukyan goes off at Paddy Pimblett

With the hype, people generally expect a fighter to always capitalize on the opportunities. Paddy Pimblett entered the UFC 324 octagon with a seven-fight winning streak. And on top of that, he frequently expressed confidence in his abilities to beat veteran lightweight stars. But when Pimblett received the opportunity, he could not reciprocate his words into performance.

Due to that, ‘The Baddy’ is now getting slammed by his rivals. “That’s what happens when you’re gifted opportunities and pushed up the rankings artificially, a completely undeserved title shot for Paddy. Congratulations to Justin. He showed real heart, and unlike others, he’ll step up and take the fight with me. Respect,” Arman Tsarukyan wrote on X.

Tsarukyan also made a subtle tease that he is quite interested in taking a fight against Gaethje. Now, the Armenian’s last UFC appearance was against Dan Hooker in November 2025. And the results saw him extending his winning streak to five fights.

With Tsarukyan showing interest in Gaethje, could they be scheduled to face each other next? Would ‘The Highlight’ defend the interim lightweight title? Practically, the chances are less as Gaethje would be interested in a title unification bout against Topuria next. On that note, let us know your thoughts about this situation below!