Jorge Masvidal has shared his view that it’s actually for the best Paddy Pimblett didn’t walk away from UFC 324 with the interim lightweight belt.
Paddy Pimblett squared off against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 324 main event, with both men aiming to secure a future fight with Ilia Topuria for the undisputed lightweight championship.
Gaethje ended up controlling most of the five-round battle and made history by becoming the first two-time interim champion in UFC history.
Pimblett is currently feuding with Ilia Topuria, but Masvidal thinks things worked out for him despite not getting the win.
Jorge Masvidal says Topuria would have destroyed Pimblett
After Ilia Topuria claimed the lightweight belt with a knockout win over Charles Oliveira last year, he squared off with Pimblett in the cage, setting up what looked to be their next fight.
Although Topuria was supposed to defend his title against Pimblett at UFC 324, he stepped away from fighting to focus on family matters before the bout was finalised.
Pimblett hadn’t fought any top-10 opponents before facing Gaethje, which had many questioning whether he deserved a shot at the interim title.
After Gaethje’s dominant win over Pimblett, Jorge Masvidal spoke out on Death Row MMA podcast and suggested that the result saved ‘The Baddy’ from being completely outclassed by Topuria.
“It’s a good thing that Paddy didn’t win because if he did, he was gonna get torched by Ilia,” Masvidal said during the Death Row MMA podcast. “I think Gaethje should just retire and ride off into the sunset because he doesn’t wanna see Ilia.”
“I think both of these guys are just levels below Ilia and that fight really showed it all – in the wrestling, in the striking, in defense, in offense. I think Ilia is on a whole other planet when it comes to these guys. Hopefully they give him Justin Gaethje so he can get another guy and do him like a launcher; he’s gonna fold him.”
Pimblett’s next step: What should be next for Paddy after UFC 324?
Paddy Pimblett has suffered his first loss in the UFC to Justin Gaethje, which snapped a 23-fight unbeaten streak.
Despite having just lost his first fight of his UFC tenure, Pimblett hasn’t fought any of the currently ranked fighters in the lightweight division other than Michael Chandler and Gaethje.
And because of that, there are still plenty of matchups for him in the division, as he will likely attempt to climb up the rankings and earn another shot at the title.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
