DANA WHITE PROVIDES MEDICAL UPDATE ON PADDY PIMBLETT AFTER BLOOD-SOAKED VEGAS TITLE FIGHT
Paddy Pimblett was rushed to the hospital after a brutal decision loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 for the interim title.
Paddy Pimblett landed in the hospital right after losing to Justin Gaethje. He came into UFC 324 full of confidence, still riding high from his knockout over Michael Chandler back in April.
Pimblett’s rise has been crazy fast. Saturday night, he found himself fighting for the interim title—the biggest moment of his career so far. The pressure was on, too. Whoever won would get a shot at Ilia Topuria for the undisputed belt later this year.
From the first bell, Gaethje set the pace. He pinned Pimblett against the cage, nearly finished him in the opening round, then sent him crashing to the mat. When round two started, Gaethje—now 37—kept pouring it on and dropped Pimblett again.
Not long after, Pimblett’s right eye blew up, swelling hard, and cuts started showing all over his face. Somehow, he made it to the final bell, but he looked rough—blood everywhere, face battered.
He stuck around for a quick post-fight interview, but then the medics whisked him straight to the hospital. Gaethje didn’t come away clean either; his face told the story.
Reporters wanted to know if Gaethje’s injuries would push back the title unification fight. Dana White, the UFC boss, gave a quick update, saying Pimblett was sent for more checks at the hospital.
"Apparently, he (Gaethje) is 100%," White told everyone at the press conference. We sent Paddy Pimblett straight to the hospital, and we were going to send Gaethje, too.
"And Gaethje’s like, ‘Believe me, I’ve been in plenty of wars. ‘I’m good.’ As far as we know, he’s healthy."
Looking back on the fight, White had to give Pimblett credit for his grit. "So, Paddy Pimblett at the weigh-ins yesterday says, ‘I am going to knock this motherf***** out tomorrow.’ And I was like, ‘That’s interesting.’
"And he stuck to that game plan, even when he got dropped a couple of times. I figured at some point he’d have to drop for a takedown and go for a submission.
"I didn’t know Paddy had a chin like that until tonight. It was a dogfight, a real war, and both guys deserve a ton of respect."
After it was over, Pimblett showed real sportsmanship. He paid tribute to Gaethje, saying, "I wanted to be walking away with that belt, and I know how tough I am anyway. I don’t need to prove it to anyone. I wanted to leave with that belt.
"But there’s no man I’d rather lose to than The Highlight, someone I grew up watching. It shows why he’s a legend, right there. I thought 48-47 was a fair scorecard.
"I’m not going to lie, he hit me with a body shot in that first round, right in the solar plexus, and it got me. I thought I was winning the round-up until that point. I’m 31; you haven’t seen the last of me."
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
_1776091495.webp)
Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
