Justin Gaethje appears to be preparing an unexpected shift in approach for his Octagon appearance. After lightweight champion Ilia Topuria announced a hiatus from competition, the promotions moved quickly, booking an interim title fight between “The Highlight” and Paddy Pimblett as the main event of UFC 324 in January 2026.
Gaethje is in position to become the UFC’s first two-time interim champion and set up a future title unification bout with Topuria. But before that can happen, he’ll need to navigate Pimblett’s wrestling-heavy approach in what many view as a matchup defined by contrasting skill sets.
Although “The Highlight” is an accomplished NCAA Division I wrestler, his MMA career has largely showcased his striking, with his grappling rarely making an appearance inside the Octagon. Even so, Gaethje says he’s fully prepared to handle anything “The Baddy” brings on January 24.
Justin Gaethje Teases Shock Submission Upset At UFC 324
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Justin Gaethje discussed his upcoming title fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. The former interim lightweight champion said he’s ready to engage on the ground when necessary, pointing out that he has already faced some of the UFC’s most elite grapplers, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.
“People remember the biggest fights that I’ve had against the most elite grapplers, you know, I have had issues,” Gaethje said. “But the way that Charles Oliveira got me to the ground was by rocking me and sitting me down with a punch. Khabib was just a whole other conundrum.”
“The Highlight” added that after his loss to Oliveira, he put significant effort into refining his grappling skills, even hinting that there’s a slim but real chance he might be the one to submit Pimblett in the UFC.
Ultimately, he’s a really good grappler, but since the Charles Oliveira fight, I’ve really, really trained a lot of jiu-jitsu, a lot of grappling, and I’ve actually been enjoying it a lot more than I ever have. So I’m not looking to grapple, but I have no issue with the grappling department, and my ability to keep people from taking me down is second to none. So he’s going to have to compromise me with his punches and kicks and knees, and then if that happens, then he’ll have a better chance. This is such a crazy game, you just never know. Maybe I’ll sub him. That’s got to be million-to-one odds, though.”
Justin Gaethje was last seen in action at UFC 313 this past March, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Rafael Fiziev in their rematch. The 37-year-old Arizona native has gone 4–3 in his last seven fights and holds an overall UFC record of 9–5.
