The interim lightweight title is on the line in the UFC 324 main event on Saturday. Former interim champion Justin Gaethje faces No. 5 ranked Paddy Pimblett in the featured fight of the first UFC fight card of 2026.
Former featherweight titleholder and BMF champion Max Holloway believes the interim title fight is a coin toss match with both fighters having clear paths to victory.
“I think it’s going to be a fun fight. I think it’s going to be a great fight. I can see Paddy winning, but I can see Gaethje winning too,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel.
“Paddy gets hit, so my question in this fight is like Paddy gets hit. Is he going to be able to endure the damage that Gaethje is going to put on him? Because we saw him endure the damage in all of his fights. You know, he gets cracked. He gets hit, he comes forward. Is he going to be able to eat Justin’s shots? That’s the question for me. That’s the biggest one for me.
“With Paddy, if he can eat it, I can see Paddy catching Gaethje, maybe almost like the [Charles] Oliveira fight. Catch Gaethje, hurt Gaethje, wobble, get to Gaethje’s back or something and maybe sub him.”
Not only does Pimblett get touched in fights, he carries his chin high and exposed. 20 of Gaethje’s 26 career wins have been by knockout.
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“Paddy is very well rounded. He out wrestled wrestlers. He out grappled grapplers. He stands with you. He doesn’t care. He throws. Everybody be like, his chin is in the air. He takes shots. Yeah, he takes shots and he still walks forward. How long will that last? We don’t know, and that’s the question I have to this fight. What his reaction is going to be when Justin Gaethje catches him,’ said Holloway. “Justin Gaethje punches like a truck. He kicks like a freakin donkey, and it’s insane. So, I want to see if he can endure the damage.”
Holloway ultimately did not pick a winner. He believes it’s an evenly matched fight.
“For me, this is a flip up. I’m not surprised if either of these guys win. I can see two clear paths to these guys winning. I can see Gaethje catching Paddy, putting him down, finishing him. Then I can see Paddy catching Gaethje maybe knock him out or hurting him enough where he can get a submission,” he said.
“I think this is a coin flip. I think whoever can endure the more damage is going to win one.”
