“Dirty Bast**d” – Paddy Pimblett Calls for Rematch After UFC 324 Loss
Last week, Paddy Pimblett announced that he would be returning during International Fight Week, set to take place in July of this year, live from Las Vegas. Without an opponent just yet, the Liverpudlian called for a rematch with Justin Gaethje, c...
Last week, Paddy Pimblett announced that he would be returning during International Fight Week, set to take place in July of this year, live from Las Vegas. Without an opponent just yet, the Liverpudlian called for a rematch with Justin Gaethje, calling him a “dirty bast**d”.
The two men met in the UFC 324 main event in a fight which saw the interim lightweight title on the line. On the night, Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision, 48–47, 49–46, 49–46. Gaethje is booked to headline UFC Freedom 250 in a shot at becoming the undisputed lightweight champion.
Paddy Pimblett wants a Rematch
“I really hope we get that rematch some day”
Speaking to IFLTV at a boxing event where teammate and former UFC star, Molly McCann continued her boxing career, Pimblett confirmed that he would be fighting in “twelve weeks or something like that“. He went on to say, “I’m gonna be back and someone’s getting muftied. I’m coming back for revenge after I lost my last fight. It’s one of them. Everyone loses and that’s how you learn. It’s how you get better. I probably learned more from losing that fight than winning seven other UFC fights, but I’ll be back better and stronger. And everyone’s gonna see.”
Paddy Pimblett went on to say, “I’ve always said it’s in me destiny that I’m gonna be the world champion, and I will. At some point in your career you need a loss to realize stuff, and I think that was that point in my career. And hopefully I get the rematch with Gaethje, I got nothing but respect for him but he’s a dirty bastard poking me in the eyes. So I really hope we get that rematch some day.”
Eye Pokes and International Fight Week
On the night, Justin Gaethje was credited with two knockdowns over Paddy Pimblett.
Replays clearly show that Pimblett was compromised as a result of eye pokes at the hands (fingers) of Gaethje. Pimblett spoke after the bout, stating that his depth perception was off as a result of the eye pokes he suffered. With that being said, it was clear that Gaethje was better than Pimblett on the night.
As for Paddy Pimblett’s International Fight Week opponent, we know it won’t be Gaethje. There are two potential opponents, one of which has called Pimblett out recently.
Benoit, in a fantastic video, called out ‘Roast beef’, Pimblett for a scrap in July.
🚨 Benoît Saint Denis 🇫🇷 tease son prochain adversaire ! 🔥
Le Français a faim de rosbeef. 🥩
➡️ Un prochain combat face à Paddy Pimblett ? 🗡️🏴
(via IG – @BenoitSt_Denis & @BigFernand_FR) pic.twitter.com/UPEDOPibWi
— ActuMMA (@actu_mma) April 18, 2026
The Frenchman is a tough match for anyone in the division.
We also know that the megastar that is Conor McGregor is set to return during International Fight Week and an all European affair could easily headline the event. The two men have followed the same path from CageWarriors to the UFC, and the build-up to a potential bout could be extremely entertaining.
