Paddy Pimblett has opened up on his unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje in their interim lightweight title bout at UFC 324, calling out his own approach in the fight.
Pimblett was knocked down twice by Gaethje in what became his first defeat in the UFC, ending his promotional run at 7-1 and moving his overall MMA record to 23-4.
Reflecting on the January clash, Pimblett admitted his mindset played a role in the result. "To be honest, with the last fight, I think a little bit of my ego got in the way," he said.
He went into further detail about chasing a stand-up battle with the former interim champion. "I wanted to knock him out. I wanted to strike with him and show everyone I could strike. I wanted a war. When you're trying to take him down in the fifth round after he bludgeoned you at the end of the second, it's quite hard. Back to fight IQ, back to the game plan, and not just swinging recklessly."
Pimblett is currently in training camp for his next fight and has hinted it will be against Benoit Saint Denis.
