Summary

Gaethje celebrates victory in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
Days after defeating Paddy Pimblett and becoming the interim lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg), Justin Gaethje continues to savor the laurels of his triumph against "The Evil One." However, even though the victory came after 25 intense minutes at the first numbered event of 2026, there are details about the fight that not all fans or members of the media are aware of. Therefore, the fighter himself came forward to reveal a curious episode that occurred during the promotion of the fight.
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According to Destaque, the face-offs with Pimblett made him realize the size of the Briton's nose. Given the possibility of a long confrontation, as indeed happened, Gaethje was concerned, assuming his opponent had great cardiovascular capacity.
“During the staredown, I thought: 'My God, those nostrils'. I kept staring at his nostrils the whole time. I thought: 'This son of a bitch will never get tired of it'”, Gaethje said in an interview on the podcast 'What Hones You Show' this Friday (30).
Justin Gaethje says Paddy Pimblett ’s nostrils were intimidating during the faceoff 😂
“During the faceoff, I was like, 'My God, those nostrils'. I was making eye contact with his nostrils the whole time. I was like, 'this motherf****r is never gonna get tired.'”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/EI55TfElwC
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 30, 2026
Justin Gaethje must face Ilia Topuria to unify the titles

Topuria celebrates her UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
In addition to crowning Gaethje's rise to yet another interim belt, the victory against Paddy Pimblett set the American up for title unification with Ilia Topuria . The reigning champion, the Georgian/Spanish fighter, is currently on hiatus to resolve legal issues related to a divorce. Although he doesn't have a date to return to the octagon, El Matador has stated that he will return to action in the middle of this year.
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