Justin Gaethje respects what Paddy Pimblett did after their first fight. That does not mean the UFC lightweight champion is asking for the rematch.
Gaethje was asked on The Pat McAfee Show whether he and Pimblett are destined to fight again after Pimblett’s quick UFC 329 submission win. His answer was direct.
“Destined for each other to fight again? No”
Gaethje beat Pimblett by unanimous decision in January, then stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 and became undisputed lightweight champion. Pimblett came back at UFC 329 and submitted Benoit Saint Denis with a D’Arce choke in 52 seconds, putting himself back into the title conversation.
Gaethje Praised The Response, Not The Rematch
Gaethje did not dismiss Pimblett as a fighter. He tied the response to Rafael Fiziev, Anthony Joshua, and the wider respect athletes have for fighting.
“I think it’s crazy what my story has done for so many people”
“Rafael Fiziev, a guy I fought two times, says a very similar thing. I kind of rejuvenated him when I won that fight. Him losing two times to me, having been in there with me two times kind of rejuvenated him. Anthony Joshua, I saw him talking about how you can never forget how real fighting is and how dangerous it is and never becoming too full of yourself. He learned that from that lesson.”
Joshua had already said the Gaethje-Topuria result made him tighten his circle and treat the fight business differently. MiddleEasy covered Joshua’s full Topuria-Gaethje reaction here.
“It’s pretty cool across the board, all athletes respect our sport because it’s so humbling, so primal. It’s one on one. It’s freaking awesome.”
Pimblett Is Back In The Race, But Gaethje Has Leverage
Gaethje’s position is different now than it was before the first Pimblett fight. The UFC lists him at 28-5 with 21 knockout wins. He has held the BMF belt, won the interim lightweight title twice, and now owns the undisputed belt after the Topuria stoppage.
Pimblett leaves UFC 329 at 24-4. The Saint Denis finish was exactly the kind of clean rebound he needed after losing to Gaethje, and it also gave the UFC an easy story to sell if it wants a second fight. Pimblett had already been attached to the bigger UFC 329 picture through the Max Holloway and Dana White backstage clips, including his offer to fight Holloway on short notice.
The rematch case is obvious from Pimblett’s side. He lost a five-round title fight, answered with a first-round finish, and remains one of the division’s most visible names. Gaethje’s side is colder: he already won the first meeting, then beat Topuria for the belt, and he is not framing Pimblett as unfinished business.
That leaves the UFC with a matchmaking question rather than a rivalry answer. Pimblett is back in the title mix, but Gaethje’s first public reaction to the immediate rematch idea was not an invitation.
