Although Poirier is retired, he still pays attention to the UFC, especially those he knows. He and Gaethje have fought twice, so he’s no stranger to knowing what ‘The Highlight’ brings to the Octagon.
Heading into UFC 324, however, Pimblett is the betting favorite to beat Gaethje, which Poirier disagrees with. Instead, he believes Gaethje will get his hand raised on Saturday night.
“I’m leaning towards Justin, but we’ll see. I just think (Gaethje) has been in those 25-minute fights,” Poirier said said to Ariel Helwani. “He’s been in those dogfights before. I think Paddy’s going to have a hard time keeping him up, and I don’t think Paddy’s going to take him down, so he’s going to have to fight him.
“Unless Paddy can keep it disciplined for 25 minutes, keep his distance and pick his shots, Justin is just a bigger puncher and will put himself in danger by landing one of those shots. It’s hard to stay away for 25 minutes.”
Dustin Poirier expects Justin Gaethje to finish Paddy Pimblett
Poirier thinks he’s still waiting for more from Pimblett as he doesn’t get much out of his win over Michael Chandler. However, if he beats Gaethje, Poirier will believe in Pimblett.
But Poirier doesn’t expect that to happen, as he expects Justin Gaethje to defeat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 on Saturday.
“Yeah, I think Justin is holding him back,” Poirier said.
Poirier is no stranger to feeling Gaethje’s power, as he was knocked out by ‘The Highlight’ at UFC 291 in July 2023. In his UFC tenure, Gaethje is 9-5-0 with six wins by knockout.
Who do you think will win the UFC 324 main event between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett? Sound off in the comments section, PENN Nation!
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