LAS VEGAS – Justin Gaethje didn’t take too kindly to Paddy Pimblett’s comments on Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight.
Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) meets Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in Saturday’s UFC 324 (Paramount+) main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Pimblett has mentioned plans of retiring Gaethje with a win, and referenced Poirier’s final fight against BMF champion Max Holloway at UFC 318 as an example.
“I look at Dustin Poirier for an example. He’s come out and said, ‘I’m having this retirement fight,’ and then he looked like a piece of dogsh*t,” Pimblett said in an interview with TNT Fight Sports. “Got his head punched in for five rounds, and looked like sh*t and had all this big sh*t made (about him in advance).
“If you’re going to retire, you need to just do it. You don’t want to tell everyone. He put too many expectations on his shoulders and got muftied in his own backyard – kind of made himself look stupid.”
Gaethje warns Pimblett not to be overconfident.
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“He’s out here disrespecting legends like Dustin Poirier,” Gaethje said during Thursday’s UFC 324 pre-fight press conference. “I’m going to dog walk this English f*ck on Saturday: Watch.”
Poirier picked Gaethje to beat Pimblett, which played a factor in his comments.
“Dustin’s never got a nice word to say about me,” Pimblett said. “I was honest and said he looked like sh*t against (Holloway). “F*cking hell, stop crying.”
“You would also look like sh*t against Holloway,” Gaethje said.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Justin Gaethje rips Paddy Pimblett for disrespecting Dustin Poirier
