Pimblett Would Shoot for a Choke in Gaethje Rematch

Paddy Pimblett has already planned how a second fight with Justin Gaethje would go. He would not trade punches this time. He would take Gaethje to the mat right away.

Pimblett laid out the plan on the "How U Livin J Piven" podcast. "If I fought him again, I'd shoot in in the first 10 seconds, put him on his back and choke his ass out," he said.

What went wrong in the first fight

Gaethje beat Pimblett by unanimous decision at UFC 324 in January. The result earned Gaethje the interim lightweight title. It was the first UFC loss for "The Baddy".

The 31-year-old Pimblett has said before that his ego got in the way of his game plan that night. He wanted to show he could exchange punches with one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, rather than lean on his grappling. Gaethje won over five rounds.

The road back

Pimblett bounced back at UFC 329 in July. He submitted Benoit Saint Denis in the first round, finishing the fight in 52 seconds. The win put him back in the chase for a title shot.

Gaethje has since moved up to the undisputed belt. He won it by beating Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

Pimblett has a longstanding rivalry with Topuria. Even so, he would pick Gaethje first, because the title is what he wants most.

"I'd take a rematch with Gaethje before Ilia, because I want to be a world champion," Pimblett said. "I hate Ilia, don't get me wrong... Obviously, I'd rather beat Ilia than beat Justin, but Justin's got the belt and that's what we do it for. To be recognized as the best in the world, to be the undisputed champion. That's been my goal since I was 15, 16, so that's what I want to do."

Source: Sherdog