For days, Paddy Pimblett kept it quiet. No excuses. No lengthy rants. He smiled as usual and promised to return. But when he eventually sat down to rewatch his UFC 324 loss to Justin Gaethje, something didn’t seem right, and what he saw didn’t feel like a clean defeat.

The interim lightweight title fight lasted five grueling rounds, and ‘The Highlight’ won via unanimous decision. Many admired Justin Gaethje’s high-pressure game plan. Others questioned why Pimblett, who was known for his grappling, used it so sparingly. Now, ‘The Baddy’ says there was a reason.

Paddy Pimblett says Justin Gaethje’s eye poke changed it all

“I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but that changes the whole fight,” Paddy Pimblett said on his YouTube channel, referring to an eye poke in the second round. “I’ll be honest, he hit me afterwards because he hit me and started elbowing me, but I easily win the third round.

So imagine if that never happens in the second. My depth perception is off; they’re shouting at me to get the takedown, but sometimes he looks far away, sometimes he looks close.”

As a result of the poke, Paddy Pimblett, who usually relies on his wrestling to mount pressure, was unable to use it at all. And as expected, Justin Gaethje capitalized. The striking exchanges continued, and ‘The Baddy’ found himself fighting with limited sight. He believes the momentum swing in the second round never truly reset, but despite it, the scouser saw himself winning two of the five rounds.

“For me, I win three and five,” he added in the video. “If got point took off like he should’ve, lad, that’s a draw. I don’t want to sound bitter; you can’t cry over spilled milk, but I feel a bit. I know how Jared Gordon felt; I’ll put it that way.

I knew the scorecards weren’t going to be in our favor. That’s why I did that little ‘I don’t know’ to my mom and my dad because I half knew I lost. You can see my eye is bright red there. It should’ve all been 48-47.”

For the unaware, Paddy Pimblett addressed Jared Gordon because Gordon was widely seen by fans as being robbed in their controversial UFC 282 fight, and ‘The Baddy’ now believes he understands what it’s like to be on the losing end of a disputed decision.

But that’s all in the past. Pimblett claim’s healthy, ready to return this summer, and open to anyone. So, while the interim belt slipped away in January, ‘The Baddy’ believes the undisputed one is still on the way, and this time he wants no questions left unanswered. Especially when there’s still some good to take out from this defeat.

Pimblett’s manager lists the positives from UFC 324

If Paddy Pimblett sees unfinished business, many around him see growth. Graham Boylan, his longtime manager and the man who saw him climb through Cage Warriors, believes UFC 324 changed something—not on the scorecards, but in perception. Boylan doesn’t buy the idea that the loss exposed ‘The Baddy.’ If anything, he thinks it validated him.

“That’s every fighter, though. Every fighter’s going to think that way,” he told Bloody Elbow. “Paddy got more respect in that fight than he ever did in his career, and finally, people are starting to realize Paddy’s legit, and he’s going to be around for a long time.

Paddy’s young. He’s got plenty of time. So, we’re looking forward to see where he goes next and what happens next.”

For years, critics questioned Paddy Pimblett’s status among the elite. Going five hard rounds with ‘The Highlight’ surely reduced some of the noise. It wasn’t Pimblett’s ideal night. However, according to his team, it may have been the night he proved he truly belongs.