Paddy Pimblett ‘has everything to be a world champion’ and here’s why he’ll defeat Justin Gaethje at UFC 324
Paddy Pimblett’s skillset and confidence make it hard to bet against him as he nears the biggest fight of his life.
That’s according to UFC welterweight Sam Patterson, who has expertly broken down why he believes his fellow Brit will get the job done against Justin Gaethje.
Gaethje vs Pimblett headlines UFC 324 in Las Vegas on January 24 as both men battle it out for the interim lightweight title.
The stakes are high for the top-ranked UFC lightweights, with the winner of the main event in line to face undisputed champion Ilia Topuria, who is currently out of action, next.
For 37-year-old Gaethje, it’s all or nothing as he prepares to make the most of his last chance at UFC gold.
Pimblett, 31, meanwhile, is out to prove the doubters wrong once again and continue the momentum from his dominant win over Michael Chandler last time out.
Like the majority of the MMA world, Patterson, who is preparing to make his return to Dana White‘s promotion at UFC London in March, expects fireworks.
Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett prediction
“Pimblett’s going to have a game plan and he’s very, very good at going in there and implementing it,” Patterson told talkSPORT.com when asked how he sees the UFC 324 main event playing out.
“I think I’m being biased, but like I said about the game plan, plus the confidence he and his team have in how they prepare.
“Pimblett goes in there, similarly to how he did Michael Chandler, and gets the job done.”
Patterson had a perfect 2025 in the UFC, finishing two bouts in Las Vegas and Paris with a first-round stoppage.
That made it four on the bounce for the Watford man, having also won his two fights in 2024 by submission in round one, after an unsuccessful debut in March 2023.
The 29-year-old now expects to make his sixth UFC appearance back in London, with UFC CEO White to announce the full card in the coming weeks.
Although he is backing Pimblett ahead of UFC 324, Patterson still viewed Gaethje as a serious threat.
“It depends on how you look at it,” Patterson continued, speaking on Gaethje vs Pimblett.
“You could look at Gaethje, if he doesn’t get the title, he’s out of the game; that he’s got one foot out the door already.
“Or you could look at it the other way and say he’s more dangerous because you know it’s his last chance.
“Justin Gaethje is ‘The Highlight’ for a reason. He goes out there to perform every single time, and I don’t see it being any different.
“He’s gonna step in there and fight. And Paddy, I think he has the skillset and the confidence, Paddy’s confidence and how he handles that next level of pressure, like, f***ing hell.
“He has everything to be a world champion and he believes it – that’s the most important thing.
“Believing in yourself over what everyone else says is the key and he definitely believes in himself.
“I think it could be a very interesting fight. It could be just a war because Paddy ain’t scared of a fist fight and Justin Gaethje always comes for a fist fight.
“So they could just clash, or I feel like it could be Paddy, just goes in there and implements the game plan.
“Obviously, I’m biased and rooting for the UK guy.”
UFC 324 begins the UFC’s whopping $7.7billion broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+.
Also on the card, Kayla Harrison defends the women’s bantamweight title against the returning Amanda Nunes in a mouthwatering bout that White has described as the ‘greatest women’s fight’ of all time.
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