Paddy Pimblett says he let ego pull him into the wrong fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324.
Pimblett lost a unanimous decision to Gaethje in the UFC 324 main event on January 24, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The fight was for the interim UFC lightweight title, and Gaethje won by scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46.
Pimblett entered the bout unbeaten in the UFC. In a new video, he said he spent too much of the fight trying to prove he could trade with Gaethje.
“So to be honest, with the last fight, I think a little bit of me ego got in the way. I wanted to knock him out. I wanted to strike with him and show everyone I could strike with him. When you’re trying to take him down in the fifth round after he bludgeoned you at the end of the second, it’s quite hard. Back to fight IQ. Back to the game plan and not just swinging recklessly.”
Watch the full video below:
Pimblett Says His Next Camp Is Already Underway
Pimblett is listed at 23-4. Before the Gaethje loss, he stopped Michael Chandler by third-round TKO at UFC 314, submitted King Green with a triangle choke at UFC 304, beat Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision at UFC 296, and defeated Jared Gordon by unanimous decision at UFC 282.
Gaethje moved to 27-5 with the win. He is listed as the current and two-time interim UFC lightweight champion, and his record includes wins over Pimblett, Rafael Fiziev, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and Michael Johnson.
Pimblett said he is already back in camp and feeling the early grind.
“Body’s feeling it, as it will be the first few weeks back. I had a perfect camp for the last fight, and that never went perfect in the cage. So I think I’m better off having a little bit of a mad disruptive fight camp, and I have my best fights. Bobby Green and Michael Chandler, both fight camps weren’t perfect, but in the end they were perfect when I got in the Octagon. So hopefully this is the same.”
He also said he still expects to work back toward another championship opportunity.
“I gotta show everyone why I deserve to get that title shot. Show everyone that I’m gonna be getting another one in the near future.”
Pimblett did not confirm his next opponent in the video.
“I’m not going to reveal who me opponent is. The UFC will do that in due course. We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”
Pimblett is still listed as the No. 6 UFC lightweight as of February 3, 2026. The Gaethje fight gave him his first UFC loss, and his own takeaway was direct enough: less ego, more fight IQ.
The lightweight picture is not waiting around either. Gaethje’s win at UFC 324 put him back in title position, while Pimblett now has to rebuild after the first loss of his UFC run. He has already been linked to a return at International Fight Week, but no opponent was confirmed in the video.
Gaethje’s next chapter is already tied to the top of the division, and Pimblett’s route back starts with the exact thing he named himself: fight IQ instead of swinging recklessly.
