Paddy Pimblett Hospitalized After UFC 324 Fight Leaves Him Bloodied

Paddy Pimblett came into UFC 324 with momentum to match the main-event spotlight, and walked out looking like he’d been through a car crash. On Saturday, the No. 5-ranked lightweight dropped a unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje after five exhausting rounds in their interim title fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gaethje walked away with the belt on scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 in a bout streamed on Paramount+, the UFC’s new live-streaming partner, and Paddy Pimblett walked straight to the hospital.

After the fight, Pimblett was transported to a local Las Vegas hospital for precautionary scans, but before he even left the building, UFC CEO Dana White made it clear just how violent the bout was by sharing a backstage photo of Pimblett’s swollen, bruised, bloodied face.

"We sent Paddy straight to the hospital, and we're going to send Gaethje too," White said in a post-fight press conference. "And Gaethje is like, 'believe me, I've been in plenty of wars. I'm good.'"

He added, "I didn't know Paddy Pimblett had a chin like that till tonight. Yeah, absolute dogfight in a war, and much respect to both guys."

Despite the loss, Pimblett (23-4) showed grit that even his harshest critics had to acknowledge. The Liverpool native absorbed heavy hands from Gaethje across all five rounds, getting dropped several times, but surviving to hear the final horn. The defeat marked Pimblett’s first loss inside the Octagon and snapped a nine-fight winning streak that previously included wins over Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and King Green.

Gaethje, however, came in with a plan, and he said the goal was pressure and control. “Yeah, my coach was definitely upset with me after the first round,’’ he said. “I just love this (stuff) so much. It’s really hard to control myself sometimes. … And so my coach had to really pull me back.’’

Even so, Gaethje admitted he went off-script early as he hunted for a finish, and Pimblett felt the consequences immediately. “I’m not going to lie,’’ Pimblett said. “He hit me with a body shot in the first round. He hit me in the solar plexus and it got me…

Still, Pimblett refused to fold, insisting the loss won’t define him. “I’ll be back better. It’s as simple as that," he said. "You haven’t seen the last of me.’’

Gaethje sounded genuinely stunned that Pimblett made it to the end. “My God, what a gangster,’’ Gaethje said.

Pimblett, bruised and beaten but still composed, returned the respect and made it clear he didn’t view the result as a humiliation, just a hard lesson delivered by a legend. “I wanted to leave with that belt, but there’s no other man I’d rather lose to than The Highlight,’’ Pimblett said, referring to Gaethje by his nickname. “It shows why he’s a legend right there.’’

As clips from the fight spread online, fans lit up the comments with a mix of awe, brutal honesty, and plenty of respect for Pimblett’s durability.

One viewer summed up the madness of going five rounds with Gaethje by writing, “Not many men can stay in front of Justin & bang for 25 minutes, man. Great fight,” while another contrasted the damage on both sides, saying, “Justin didn’t have a single scratch on him & Paddy looks like he went through the wood chipper. Paddy’s never getting that belt, but great fight from both guys!”

Others couldn’t get over how Pimblett stayed upright despite the punishment. “dude almost lost an eye and still ain’t finished. bro he’s tough, he gotta get better defensively tho,” one fan posted. And while plenty of viewers praised the chaos, some also pointed to the messy moments, with one commenter adding, “Minus the low blows and thumbs to the eye, good fight.”

With the win, Gaethje improved to 27-5 and has now won four of his last five.

As for Pimblett, the 31-year-old from Great Britain saw his record fall to 23-4 and suffered his first loss in 10 fights, but if there was any silver lining, it’s that he proved he can survive at the very top of the division, even on the worst night of his career.