Urijah Faber is backing Justin Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.
Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) takes on Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the Jan. 24 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). “The Highlight” will get another title opportunity after UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria announced that he’s taking personal time off due to ongoing legal issues with his ex-wife.
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Faber expects Gaethje to be able to dictate where the interim title fight goes.
“I got to go with Gaethje,” Faber told Helen Yee. “I feel like he’s the one that enjoys a knockdown, drag-out more than the other guy. Not that Paddy Pimblett doesn’t love to fight, it’s just Gaethje loves to actually get down and throw fist for fist, and he’s also got the Division 1 wrestling to kind of negate some of the biggest skillsets of Paddy. Paddy is a very dominant grappler when it comes to submissions and being aggressive with that. I think Gaethje has the tools to keep it where he wants, and I think that’s going to give him an edge.”
Oddsmakers suggest otherwise. According to FanDuel, Pimblett is a slight -215 favorite over former interim champion Gaethje, who’s a +164 underdog.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Urijah Faber gives Justin Gaethje edge over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324
