The Nevada Athletic Commission has appointed Marc Goddard as referee and Mike Bell, Derek Cleary, and Sal D’Amato as judges for the UFC 324 main event between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, where they will compete for an interim lightweight title due to Ilia Topuria‘s absence.
The UFC 324 main event is heating up! Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett are set to face off this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. Exciting stuff, right?
The Nevada Athletic Commission made their picks for the referee and judges during a meeting on Tuesday. Marc Goddard, a well-known figure in the octagon, will referee the bout. He’ll pocket $3,000 for his efforts.
If the fight goes to a decision, judges Mike Bell, Derek Cleary, and Sal D’Amato will have their say. Each judge will earn $2,600 for the event. Not bad for a night’s work!
Gaethje and Pimblett are battling for the interim lightweight title. The reigning champ, Ilia Topuria, is out due to personal issues. He’s hoping to return between April and June, but nothing’s set in stone yet.
Gaethje’s been on fire with a 3-1 record in his last four fights. He took down Rafael Fiziev twice and delivered a brutal KO to Dustin Poirier. His only recent loss was to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
Pimblett, meanwhile, is undefeated in the UFC with a 7-0 streak. His standout moment? A third-round TKO against Michael Chandler at UFC 314. He’s been eyeing a showdown with Topuria, but first, he must get past Gaethje.
The rest of the referees and judges for UFC 324 will be decided on fight night. Can’t wait to see how it all unfolds!