An ex-UFC bruiser doesn’t believe Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett put their best foot forward at UFC 324.
Gaethje and Pimblett shared the bright lights in the headlining spot of UFC’s debut on Paramount+. With some fresh eyeballs on their fight, Gaethje and Pimblett were also vying for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship. It was Gaethje who got the better of “The Baddy,” scoring a unanimous decision victory in a slugfest.
While many were satisfied with the action, former UFC veteran Matt Brown had a different take. During an edition of MMAFighting‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer,” Brown explained to Damon Martin why he was disappointed in the bout.
“When I go to watch a UFC fight and particularly when I’m watching a title fight — it’s not necessarily surprising what we saw — but when I go to watch UFC, I’m looking at the Super Bowl of MMA,” Brown said. “I want to see the highest level martial arts that the world can produce and that’s what the UFC does. They go get the best guys in the world, and they beat the hell out of each other until one gets a title shot. When you’re looking at a title shot, even an interim title, you’re looking at two of the best martial artists on this planet.
“What we seen on Saturday was two of the toughest guys on the planet swinging for the fences with no skill hardly at all. Both of them are more skilled than that. I’m not taking anything away from them, but what they showed on Saturday night was not indicative of their skill, but they did not fight like I would expect a world champion to be fighting.”
Gaethje has secured a title unification bout against Ilia Topuria, and many argue “The Highlight” can’t afford to fight “El Matador” the way he did against Pimblett. Topuria is known for having perhaps the sharpest boxing in all of MMA, but Gaethje’s power and durability can’t be underestimated.
Do you agree with Matt Brown’s take or did you enjoy the Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett fight? Feel free to let us know in the comment section.