"Already a former interim titleholder, Gaethje (26-5) won the belt in 2020 by knocking out Tony Ferguson. Since then, "The Highlight" fell short in bids for the undisputed title against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Wins over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier have shown that he's still dangerous, while his most iconic fight was a last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300. Gaethje weighed 155 pounds for what could be the 37-year-old's last chance to hold championship gold."
"Meanwhile, this is the biggest fight in the career of Pimblett (23-3). "The Baddy" is undefeated since joining the UFC, winning seven straight fights. While a controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon left fans skeptical of his ceiling, the English fighter has since dominated Tony Ferguson, submitted Bobby Green and knocked out Michael Chandler. The 31-year-old officially stepped on the scale at 154 pounds on the dot."
UFC 324 opens the 2026 slate on Paramount+ with an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett to determine the No. 1 contender for Ilia Topuria. Both headliners made weight under the 155-pound limit. Bantamweight Cameron Smotherman collapsed onstage after weighing 135.5 pounds, forcing his bout with Ricky Turcios to be canceled. Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez each missed weight by 2.5 pounds and will be fined 25 percent of their purses. Gaethje enters 26-5 with previous interim title experience and recent notable wins. Pimblett is 23-3 with seven straight UFC victories and officially weighed 154 pounds.
Read at Sherdog
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