Paddy Pimblett stands on the precipice of the validation he has long sought.
The Next Generation MMA star will face Justin Gaethje for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title in the UFC 324 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where the company makes its hotly anticipated debut on Paramount+. To the winner goes 10.5 pounds of gold, along with the right to challenge incumbent champion Ilia Topuria—“El Matador” remains on a sabbatical of an undetermined length—to a unification bout later this year.