‘I had a bit of a panic’ – Paddy Pimblett shares major weight update for UFC return

Paddy Pimblett has revealed just how ‘perfect’ his weight cut is going ahead of UFC 324.

It’s a drastic change for ‘The Baddy’, who fights Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight title on Saturday, given that he dropped a whopping 40lbs before his last fight.

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Pimblett dominated Michael Chandler in April, stopping the American in round three with some nasty ground and pound elbows.

The 31-year-old then revealed on his YouTube channel post-fight that he lost 40lbs to reach the UFC lightweight limit of 156lbs for a non-title fight.

With current champion Ilia Topuria currently sidelined amid personal issues, Pimblett’s fight with Gaethje at UFC 324 is for the interim title.

This means that both men will have to make the championship weight limit of 155lbs this week.

Speaking to Applied Nutrition, Pimblett admitted to having ‘a bit of a panic’ when making weight for Chandler last time out, as he explained why he will have no issues this time around.

Will Pimblett make weight

“I’m light at the minute compared to what I’ve ever been at this stage of camp – everything’s going perfect,” Pimblett said.

“For the Chandler fight, I had six weeks. I got told six weeks out, ‘You’re fighting him on this date,’ and was like, ‘Oh yeah, s*** sounds.’

“I had a bit of a panic in that camp about making weight. I thought I was going to miss weight, but I’ve never missed lightweight, and I never will.

“Until I can’t make it anymore, I’ll be fighting at lightweight.”

Last week, Pimblett’s training focused on tapering his weight ahead of the cut during fight week.

‘The Baddy’ started locking in for the fight with Gaethje eight weeks out after cornering two of his teammates, Luke Riley and Shem Rock, from Next Generation MMA Liverpool at UFC Qatar.

Unlike the Chandler bout, Pimblett has had plenty of time to avoid any close calls with his weight.

“I started off at 88kg (194lbs), and I’m more than halfway there [to making weight], which is easy for me,” Pimblett added.

Assuming Pimblett has lost more than half of the weight required to get back down to 155lbs, he will be walking around at 170lbs days out from the fight.

This is very similar to what he was walking around at in Miami before Chandler, hitting the scales at 170lbs two days before the official weigh-in.

Pimblett admitted back in April that it was ‘one of my easiest weight cuts,’ so MMA fans can expect him to weigh in with no issues before UFC 324 on Saturday.

Applied Nutrition / @PaddTheBaddy

The first card of 2026 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Sean O’Malley‘s bantamweight bout with Song Yadong acting as the co-main event.

Kayla Harrison was originally scheduled to defend her women’s bantamweight title in the chief support act, but pulled out last week, requiring surgery on her neck.