{"id":38681,"date":"2026-01-24T09:49:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T14:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/24\/justin-gaethje-sparks-debate-with-fans-after-cryptic-comments-on-ufcs-most-thrilling-fight\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T09:49:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T14:49:04","slug":"justin-gaethje-sparks-debate-with-fans-after-cryptic-comments-on-ufcs-most-thrilling-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/24\/justin-gaethje-sparks-debate-with-fans-after-cryptic-comments-on-ufcs-most-thrilling-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Gaethje Sparks Debate with Fans After Cryptic Comments on UFC\u2019s Most Thrilling Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/24\/justin-gaethje-sparks-debate-with-fans-after-cryptic-comments-on-ufcs-most-thrilling-fight\/#Justin_Gaethje_Was_Not_Satisfied_With_His_Fight_Against_Michael_Chandler\" >Justin Gaethje Was Not Satisfied With His Fight Against Michael Chandler<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/24\/justin-gaethje-sparks-debate-with-fans-after-cryptic-comments-on-ufcs-most-thrilling-fight\/#Paddy_Pimblett_is_Eager_for_His_First_Bout_With_Justin_Gaethje_at_UFC_324\" >Paddy Pimblett is Eager for His First Bout With Justin Gaethje at UFC 324<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Justin Gaethje showed some displeasure over the recognition he received for his win at Madison Square Garden. Known as \u201cThe Highlight,\u201d Gaethje frequently lives up to his nickname in the UFC Octagon, having earned 14 post-fight bonuses in as many bouts under the UFC banner. When Gaethje faces Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 this Saturday, fans can anticipate another explosive showdown. <\/p>\n<p>The Arizona fighter aims to make &#8220;The Buddy&#8221; his newest conquest during the UFC&#8217;s debut on Paramount. Should he succeed, fans will expect even more thrilling performances on his path to victory in Las Vegas. Gaethje\u2019s career is packed with unforgettable battles, but few match the intensity of his fierce matchup in New York City four years ago. Still, Gaethje himself questions if that fight was truly his best.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Justin_Gaethje_Was_Not_Satisfied_With_His_Fight_Against_Michael_Chandler\"><\/span>Justin Gaethje Was Not Satisfied With His Fight Against Michael Chandler<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Thirteen months after his title loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gaethje returned with a spectacular performance. He faced Michael Chandler on the undercard of Kamaru Usman\u2019s second win over Colby Covington in what many regard as one of the best fights of 2021 and UFC history. At UFC 268, Gaethje won a hard-fought decision over Chandler after three brutal rounds.<\/p>\n<p>Despite widespread praise from fans and peers, Gaethje had a surprisingly critical view of the fight. In an interview with TNT Sports, he admitted, \u201cHonestly, when I was in the game, I thought it was a little boring.\u201d He explained that it was the first time he cared more about winning than scoring a knockout and expressed a desire to return to his aggressive, finish-oriented style. \u201cI want to go back to just wanting to hurt someone and be done with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paddy_Pimblett_is_Eager_for_His_First_Bout_With_Justin_Gaethje_at_UFC_324\"><\/span>Paddy Pimblett is Eager for His First Bout With Justin Gaethje at UFC 324<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Gaethje is recognized for his savage battles inside the cage, and Paddy Pimblett is looking forward to experiencing that firsthand at UFC 324. However, Pimblett doesn\u2019t expect the fight to last all five rounds, believing he will finish \u201cThe Highlight\u201d early. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to get in a fight with him. I\u2019ve had 35 fights, including amateur ones, but I\u2019ve never really been in a war, so it would be nice to finally have that opportunity,\u201d Pimblett told MMA Junkie. He confidently added, \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll go that far. I think we\u2019ll finish him off. Once he\u2019s down, he won\u2019t get back up.\u201d Pimblett also acknowledged Gaethje\u2019s strong wrestling and scrambling skills but insisted that his own grappling often gets underestimated.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> This matchup matters because it pits two dynamic and aggressive lightweights against each other, promising high-stakes action that fighting fans crave. A win for either fighter could shift the landscape of the lightweight division and set the tone for the UFC\u2019s evolving future on Paramount.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Gaethje showed some displeasure over the recognition he received for his win at Madison Square Garden. Known as \u201cThe Highlight,\u201d Gaethje frequently lives up to his nickname in the UFC Octagon, having earned 14 post-fight bonuses in as many bouts under the UFC banner. When Gaethje faces Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 this Saturday, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-38681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}