Justin Gaethje slams ‘disrespectful’ Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 press conference over Dustin Poirier remarks

Justin Gaethje accused Paddy Pimblett of ‘disrespecting legends’ during the UFC 324 press conference.

Pimblett had said Dustin Poirier looked like ‘dog s***’ in his retirement fight against Max Holloway amid questions over Gaethje’s own farewell from the sport.

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Gaethje faces Pimblett in the main event of UFC 324 on Saturday, with the American having admitted he is in the ‘last chapter’ of his illustrious career.

The two lightweight stars battle it out for the division’s interim title in Las Vegas, with undisputed champion Ilia Topuria sidelined due to a personal matter.

On Thursday evening, all 10 athletes on the main card took centre stage for the UFC 324 pre-fight press conference, where Gaethje was asked about Pimblett’s remarks.

Justin Gaethje: Paddy Pimblett is overconfident disrespecting legends

“I love everything he’s been saying,” Gaethje explained.

“He sounds overconfident — he’s out here disrespecting legends like Dustin Poirier.

“I’m going to dog walk this English f*** on Saturday. Watch.”

Pimblett had originally made the comments during a conversation with TNT Sports, suggesting Poirier put ‘too much expectation’ on himself by announcing his retirement ahead of the Holloway fight.

“He’s come out and said, ‘Yeah, I’m this retirement fight,’ and he looked like a piece of dog s***,” Pimblett said.

“Got his head punched in for five rounds and looked like s***.

“If you’re gonna retire, you need to just do it. You don’t want to tell everyone.

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“He put too much expectation on his shoulders and got muftied in his own backyard, made himself look stupid.”

Although Gaethje hasn’t explicitly stated that he will retire if he loses to Pimblett, the 37-year-old has reiterated that it is his last attempt at claiming UFC gold and only wants to fight for titles.

Should he come up short on Saturday, it’s likely Gaethje may not find himself in a position to fight for a UFC belt again.

Pimblett clarified his remarks at the press conference.

“Dustin’s never got a nice word to say about me, so I was honest and said he looked like s***,” he said.

“Stop f***ing crying.”

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Gaethje responded: “You would also look like s*** against Holloway.”

Pimblett was brimming with confidence during the short press conference, adding he cannot wait to show the world ‘just how good I am.’

He dismissed suggestions that Gaethje would easily deal with his wrestling after the American admitted he wasn’t scared to grapple, having been in there with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Everyone underestimates me, I’m a harder puzzle to solve,” the 31-year-old former Cage Warriors featherweight champion added.

Gaethje fought the Russian legend in October 2020, failing to unify the interim title he won against Tony Ferguson five months prior.