Four days after suffering his first loss in the UFC, Paddy Pimblett released a statement. Wishing Justin Gaethje on the win, he said, “Congratulations, brother; it was an honor to share the cage with such a legend.” The message struck a polite, respectful tone. Given the trash talk that preceded their headlining fight on UFC 324, Pimblett may have wanted to move on on a happier note. Yet, as it turned out, the English fighter was badly mistaken.

The pre-fight pitch saw Paddy Pimblett claim that he would hurt Gaethje badly. But Justin Gaethje flipped the script by rolling past Pimblett and becoming interim lightweight champion for the second time. While Gaethje may have moved on, his team decided to force the English fighter to confront his own words.

Justin Gaethje’s trainer blasts Paddy Pimblett’s pre-fight comments

Rather than Gaethje himself, his longtime trainer Trevor Wittman addressed Pimblett’s trash talk. He began by stressing his respect for the Englishman, but that tone shifted after watching his pupil dominate at T-Mobile Arena.

“And, you know, I got the utmost respect for Paddy, like I said, prior to going into this,” said Wittman. Pimblett’s pre-fight rhetoric, however, clearly grated. “I’m always so respectful to people, but this is why you don’t…like, that sh*t actually bothered me very bad.”

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Wittman said the shots were unnecessary and noted that fighters can keep things professional heading into bouts. But Pimblett said a lot of unsavory things. “I don’t want to let that get to me, but you say you’re going to mangle up Justin’s face. That’s what happens,” he concluded.

Ahead of the event, during the final press conference, Pimblett predicted the fight would end inside the distance and said, “I say, I’m going to put a beating on him, and it’s going to be like he’s never had before. And I can’t wait to show everyone just how good I am.”

In hindsight, the confidence proved misplaced.

When Gaethje answered Pimblett’s trash talk in the cage

Entering the fight as the favorite, Paddy “The Baddy” was eyeing a showdown with champion Ilia Topuria for the undisputed title. Instead, he ran into a hardened Gaethje. Pimblett showed flashes early but absorbed heavy punishment over five rounds.

The bout played out mostly on the feet. Post-fight statistics underscored the difference. Pimblett went 0-for-5 on takedowns, while Gaethje completed three, though the grappling exchanges were brief.

Pimblett technically landed more significant strikes overall (155 to 144), but Gaethje’s shots did more damage. He dropped Pimblett twice and steadily pulled ahead on the scorecards, earning a unanimous decision.

By the final horn, Pimblett was badly swollen around the eyes and cut up from the exchanges. UFC CEO Dana White sent him for immediate medical evaluation rather than allowing him to appear at the post-fight press conference.

For the record, Pimblett wasn’t alone in trash talking; Gaethje had been vocal before the fight as well. “I love everything he’s been saying. He definitely sounds overconfident. He’s out here disrespecting legends like Dustin Poirier. I’m going to dog walk this English f*ck on Saturday. Watch,” he said during the press conference.

This time, he backed it up, while Pimblett was left to absorb the fallout.