Paddy Pimblett says the past two weeks have given him “two major hate watches” that ended exactly how he wanted, after Justin Gaethje beat Ilia Topuria and Arsenal lost to Paris Saint-Germain. Ahead of UFC 329, the 31-year-old said there was “a bit of vindication” in seeing results go his way after months of being mocked for his own defeat to Gaethje.
The UFC lightweight contender’s comments are part celebration, part reminder of how quickly opinions can change in combat sports. Pimblett had been written off by some after a five-round loss to Gaethje at UFC 324, with critics suggesting he had been fast-tracked into a title shot and that Gaethje was already past his best. Yet the picture looks different now, with Gaethje having gone on to defeat Topuria in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
Why the Gaethje result mattered so much
Pimblett was clear that he had backed Gaethje all along. “I had Gaethje to win,” he said, adding: “Everyone laughed at me, didn’t think that it could happen. But it’s the fight game, lad. Anything can happen.”
That is the central point of his argument. Pimblett is not just claiming a moral victory because a prediction came good. He is saying the result validated the level of fighter he has already shared the cage with. “I went five rounds with who is now the undisputed world champion, and I made the fight competitive all the way through it,” he said.
He also pointed to the detail of the scoring to underline that the loss was not a wipeout. “One judge thought I won two rounds of the five, and I think I only lost the second round because he poked me in the eye and punched me straight after it,” Pimblett said.
Confidence never left him
For Pimblett, the most important part of the aftermath is that his belief never dipped. “I knew that anyway, you know what I mean?” he said when asked about the significance of Gaethje beating Topuria. “There was a bit of vindication.”
That confidence now feeds into the wider conversation around where he sits in the division. The loss to Gaethje may have slowed the momentum, but it has not changed Pimblett’s view of himself or the respect he thinks he deserves. In his mind, the evidence is already there: he pushed the champion over five rounds and remains convinced that he belongs in the upper tier.
From Forza PSG to UFC 329
The football angle only sharpened the sense of timing. A year earlier, Paris Saint-Germain had completed a 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, and in the Champions League final build-up in Budapest, Pimblett appeared on CBS Sports alongside Jamie Carragher and said: “Forza PSG.”
Now, after another PSG success and another result he welcomed, he can point to a run of outcomes that have played into his hands. Ahead of UFC 329, the message from Pimblett is simple: the mockery did not shake him, the results have only strengthened his case, and he still believes the fight game can turn very quickly.
And with Benoit Saint-Denis part of the wider conversation around UFC 329, Pimblett’s latest comments have added another layer to a build-up already shaped by confidence, vindication and a reminder that one result can change the story fast.
