Dustin Poirier picks Justin Gaethje, but he’s ready to become a Paddy Pimblett believer.
Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its highly anticipated debut on Paramount+ on Saturday, January 24, with a stacked UFC 324 fight card highlighted by an interim lightweight title between two of the division’s biggest names: Pimblett and Gaethje.
For Gaethje, it will likely be his last shot at UFC gold, while Pimblett looks to claim his first title inside the Octagon and set the stage for a highly anticipated clash with bitter rival and reigning Undisputed Champion Ilia Topuria.
Poirier has already faced Gaethje twice and is leaning toward “The Highlight” to get the job done in Las Vegas. But if Pimblett manages to get the job done, he turns ‘The Diamond’ from skeptic to supporter.
“It’s a fun fight,” Poirier said Ariel Helwani. “I’m leaning towards Justin, but we’ll see. I just think he’s been in those 25-minute fights. He’s been in dogfights before. I think Paddy’s going to have a hard time keeping him down, and I don’t think Paddy’s going to be able to take him down. So he’s going to have to fight him unless Paddy can stay super disciplined for 25 minutes, keep his distance and pick his shot.”
“Justin is just a bigger puncher and he’s going to put himself in danger by landing one of those shots, and it’s hard to stay away from that for 25 minutes. I think Justin is holding him back.”
“He’s a legit fighter, he’s a good fighter, but I haven’t seen him beat that top guy yet,” Poirier continued. “If he beats Justin, I’m a believer. The Chandler fight didn’t do anything for me. Chandler might have just showed up for a paycheck. But with Justin, man, if Paddy can beat him over 25, I’ll be the first to say I was wrong.”
Pimblett is 7-0 under the UFC banner, including notable wins against Tony Ferguson, Bobby ‘King’ Green and Michael Chandler.
As for Gaethje, the former interim titleholder has won three of his last four, including a pair of decision victories over Rafael Fiziev and a head-kick KO against Poirier in July 2023.
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