American Justin Gaethje defeated British fighter Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision to become the interim lightweight champion at UFC 324.
At the event held at the T-Mobile Arena in the US city of Las Vegas, the 37-year-old experienced fighter dominated the Briton from Liverpool and started his path to victory by taking the first two rounds, according to the Argentine News Agency.
Although Pimblett won the third round, Gaethje sealed his decisive victory in the fourth round, showcasing all his experience inside the cage.
The judges' decision was unanimous on the scorecards: 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 in favor of the Briton, who was crowned interim lightweight champion. Everything indicates that he will face the official champion in the category, the German nationalized as Spanish Ilia Topuria, who put a brake on his career due to personal issues and a legal process derived from his marital separation.
In this context, Topuria plans to return to the cage in the second quarter of the year, so the fight with Gaethje for the official title could take place between April and June.
In the other main card fights prior to the internal lightweight title bout, American Sean O'Malley defeated Chinese fighter Song Yadong by unanimous decision in the bantamweight division, Dominican Waldo Cortés-Acosta won by technical knockout over American Derrick Lewis in the heavyweight division, while Brazilians Natália and Jean Silva defeated American Rosa Namajunas and British Arnold Allen by decision, respectively.
