With UFC 324 just a week away, Paddy Pimblett will enter the Octagon against former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. The booking has been criticized for featuring Pimblett, who defeated Michael Chandler before entering the match, over Arman Tsarukyan. While Tsarukyan has backed Gaethje to beat the Englishman, the question remains whether ‘The Highlight’, known for his striking, be able to overcome ‘Baddy’.

Undefeated in the UFC, number 5-ranked lightweight Pimblett mixes his striking with his jiu-jitsu skills. Over the course of roughly five years in the UFC, Paddy Pimblett has faced elite fighters like Tony Ferguson, King Green, and Chandler. He now faces the toughest opponent in Gaethje, who has championship fight experience under his belt. However, ‘Baddy’ does not find a major challenge coming from ‘The Highlight’ at UFC 324.

Paddy Pimblett promises to finish Justin Gaethje at UFC 324

“When I lie down and close my eyes, lad, I’ve got so many different scenarios to finish him. I’ve got so many different weapons and so many different tools to finish him. Flying scissors knee, head kick, spinning back elbow, mounted triangle, guillotine, rear-naked choke, ground and pound to the point where he’s unconscious, dropping on him with punches. Finish, lad,” said ‘The Baddy’ while speaking with Applied Nutrition.

While his opponent Gaethje has struggled against grapplers like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, he has been working on his takedown defense and ground game for UFC 324. However, Pimblett is not worried about that as he plans to win the title.

“I’ve got so many different ways to finish him, and all he’s got is an overhand right. It’s just like fighting Chandler again. That’s the way I’m looking at this. It’s just like fighting Chandler again,” Pimblett continued.

At UFC 314, Pimblett met Michael Chandler inside Miami’s Kaseya Center. With a submission win over King Green before the match, Pimblett knocked Chandler out in the third round of their fight. While it was a big win for ‘Baddy’, it is important to note that ‘The Highlight’ has previously defeated ‘Iron’ at UFC 268 via unanimous decision. Also, Chandler, who has faced both the UFC324 main eventers, backed Gaethje to win the lightweight title. However, not everyone backs Justin Gaethje at UFC 324.

Alexander Volkanovski sides with Pimblett ahead of “big test”

Justin Gaethje, at 37, is chasing another shot at gold and never shies away from turning fights into wars. At the same time, that raw aggression could be both his strength and his downfall against Pimblett, who claims to have “50 ways” to finish the fight, a prediction that even the featherweight legend supports.

Two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski views the Scouser as the next interim lightweight champion. Undoubtedly, the upcoming bout will test Pimblett like never before, but Volkanovski favors the younger, bolder, and faster fighter over the veteran.

“That’s going to be a fun fight, I’m going to go with Paddy. There’s been a couple of times where I thought Paddy’s had big tests in front of him, and he’s passed them. He’s shown me in his last fight that he can really stick to a game plan, and he’s going to need that with Justin Gaethje. So, I’m going to go with Paddy,” Alexander Volkanovski told TNT Sports.

With all the predictions swirling, how do you see Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje for the interim title playing out at UFC 324? Think ‘The Highlight’ can grab one last shot at glory? Drop your prediction below.