Paddy Pimblett expressed real shock that bookmakers put in him because the betting favourite over Justin Gaethje for his or her UFC 324 interim light-weight title conflict scheduled for January 24 at T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas. The Liverpool native, who carries a 23-3 skilled file into his first UFC championship bout, acknowledged the percentages motion caught him off guard throughout this week’s pre-fight press convention.
“I do know there’s a variety of doubt round me, however I opened this combat because the betting favourite and it stayed that method into combat week,” Pimblett mentioned.
“I didn’t assume I’d keep favourite; I believed the percentages would flip. That simply exhibits the good individuals have picked me although, doesn’t it? The people who find themselves really placing cash on it. All of the outdated guard, the fighters, are choosing Justin as a result of they don’t prefer it when the subsequent era is available in and begins beating the outdated guard. All of the lightweights I see who are actually retired or on the way in which out are all choosing Justin to win, however that’s simply because it makes them look good if Justin wins. Once I win and beat him worse than they did – or a few of them received beat by him – it modifications the story.”
“Good Folks Have Picked Me”: Paddy Pimblett Reacts to Being Betting Favourite Over Justin Gaethje
The betting markets opened with Pimblett as a slender -105 favourite, however the line has solidified with the British fighter now sitting between -225 and -238 at main sportsbooks, whereas Gaethje sits as a +185 to +195 underdog. This represents a major shift in notion, as Gaethje entered the promotion in 2017 with an undefeated 17-0 file and beforehand held the interim UFC light-weight title.
The 37-year-old American owns victories over Tony Ferguson, Rafael Fiziev, and Dustin Poirier, although he enters this bout following a March 2025 determination win over Fiziev that some analysts considered as much less dominant than his earlier performances.
UFC commentator Laura Sanko voiced what many industry observers have thought about the odds, calling the margin “pretty crazy” when the lines first appeared. Sanko famous that whereas Pimblett deserved respect, the substantial hole shocked her given Gaethje’s expertise and violent placing type. The veteran’s 20 knockout victories and World Sequence of Preventing championship pedigree make him probably the most completed opponent Pimblett has confronted in his seven-fight UFC run, which features a third-round TKO of Michael Chandler at UFC 314 final April.
The matchup serves because the inaugural principal occasion for UFC’s new broadcasting partnership with Paramount+, marking the primary numbered occasion since 2021 to forego conventional pay-per-view distribution in the US. That platform shift, mixed with Pimblett’s undefeated promotional file and rising reputation, seems to have influenced public sentiment regardless of Gaethje’s established credentials. The previous interim champion hinted at retirement earlier than receiving this title alternative, including one other layer of stakes to a combat the place the betting public has clearly sided with the subsequent era over the outdated guard.
