Veteran UFC star Justin Gaethje has opened up about a significant setback he faced just days before a major championship bout, as he prepares for another shot at gold this weekend.
A Costly Crash and a Mental Mistake
Ahead of his UFC 324 main event clash with Liverpool's Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title, Gaethje reflected on the only two defeats he believes did not feature the best version of himself. The American fighter pointed to a bicycle crash 18 days before his 2022 submission loss to Charles Oliveira as a key factor.
"I've talked about being in a bike crash 18 days before the Oliveira fight, banging my head off the road," Gaethje told ESPN. "I was compromised walking into that fight." In that bout, Gaethje was competing for the vacant lightweight belt, a title Oliveira was ineligible to win after missing weight, but the Brazilian secured a first-round rear-naked choke victory.
The second defeat Gaethje referenced was his spectacular knockout loss to Max Holloway in 2024 for the 'BMF' title. He attributes this loss to a flawed mindset. "For Max, it was a mindset thing... The biggest mistake was looking at it as a spectacle fight," Gaethje admitted, stating he failed to recognise the danger and access his primal competitive nature.
Road to Redemption at UFC 324
This Saturday, 19 January 2026, in Las Vegas, the 37-year-old Gaethje gets a chance to reclaim championship status. A victory over the charismatic Pimblett would see Gaethje become a two-time interim UFC champion, having previously held the interim belt in 2020 after beating Tony Ferguson.
This fight carries immense stakes for 'The Highlight'. Should he overcome Pimblett, it would set up a third opportunity for Gaethje to fight for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship. The current champion, Ilia Topuria, is on a personal break from MMA, which prompted the creation of this interim title fight.
Legacy on the Line in Las Vegas
For Paddy Pimblett, this represents his first chance at UFC gold, and he has predicted a knockout victory. For Gaethje, it is a pivotal moment in a career defined by thrilling wars and near-misses at the absolute summit.
Having fallen short against Oliveira, Holloway, and the retired undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gaethje is determined not to let this chance slip. By addressing past physical and mental errors, he aims to ensure he enters the T-Mobile Arena at his peak, with the interim lightweight title and a future date with Topuria hanging in the balance.
