Smooth Sailing: Pimblett Successfully Makes Weight for Gaethje Fight
Paddy Pimblett comfortably made weight ahead of his interim UFC lightweight title bout in Las Vegas this weekend.
The 31-year-old Liverpudlian was first on the scale at Friday morning’s official weigh-in, registering 154lb. After stepping off the stage, Pimblett summed it up simply, describing the process as “easy work.”
Pimblett goes into Saturday’s headline fight as the favourite against Justin Gaethje. The American veteran, who was the final fighter to weigh in, came in at the lightweight limit of 155lb. Gaethje, 37, is aiming to add another title to his résumé in what promises to be a high-profile clash.
Elsewhere at the weigh-ins, flyweight Alex Perez and bantamweight Deiveson Figueiredo both failed to make their respective limits and were each fined 25% of their purses.
The event was overshadowed by a concerning moment when American bantamweight Cameron Smotherman collapsed on stage after successfully making weight. The 28-year-old later recovered, but his bout against Ricky Turcios has since been cancelled.
UFC 324 main card and UK timings
Live text commentary for UFC 324 will be available from 03:00 GMT on the BBC Sport website and app.
Main card (from 02:00 GMT, Sunday 25 January):
- Justin Gaethje v Paddy Pimblett (interim lightweight title – five rounds)
- Sean O’Malley v Song Yadong (bantamweight)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta v Derrick Lewis (heavyweight)
- Natalia Silva v Rose Namajunas (flyweight)
- Arnold Allen v Jean Silva (featherweight)
Preliminary card (from 00:00 GMT):
- Umar Nurmagomedov v Deiveson Figueiredo (bantamweight)
- Nikita Krylov v Modestas Bukauskas (light-heavyweight)
- Ateba Gautier v Andrey Pulyaev (middleweight)