Justin Gaethje has pushed back against critics who underestimate his grappling ability, asserting that he could have submitted Paddy Pimblett. The lightweight contender believes his wrestling and submission skills are routinely overlooked by fans and analysts.
Justin Gaethje is pushing back against the perception that he is a one-dimensional fighter, claiming he had the grappling tools to submit Paddy Pimblett had the two lightweights ever met inside the cage.
The lightweight champion made the assertion in a recent interview, taking aim at fans and analysts who he believes consistently overlook his wrestling and submission skills. Gaethje, 37, carries a 28-5 record and has long been viewed primarily as a pressure striker, but he insists there is more to his game than that reputation suggests. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 70-inch reach, the Arizona native lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate — numbers that rank among the elite at 135 pounds — and he fights out of Genesis Training Center.
Pimblett, for his part, is no stranger to grappling exchanges. The 31-year-old Liverpudlian holds a 23-4 record and sits at number six in the lightweight rankings. Training out of Next Generation MMA Liverpool, he averages 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes, making him one of the more active submission hunters in the division. He lands 5.49 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and stands five-foot-ten with a 73-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Gaethje's claim directly challenges the narrative that his championship credentials rest solely on striking, potentially reshaping how opponents prepare for him
- Pimblett is a top-ten lightweight with submission volume, making Gaethje's specific callout a pointed statement about his own grappling confidence
- Any future matchup between the two would pit the champion's underrated ground game against one of the division's more submission-active challengers
