DISCOVER THE HEARTFELT MESSAGE PADDY PIMBLETT SENT TO JUSTIN GAETHJE AFTER THEIR WAR
Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett has officially broken his silence following a brutal interim title loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324.
Paddy Pimblett finally tasted defeat in the UFC. Last Saturday night, January 24, 2026, he got roughed up by Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. Gaethje took the interim lightweight title after five tough rounds. The highlights are out there if you want to see just how wild it got.
After the fight, Paddy spoke a little with Joe Rogan in the cage, but then he pretty much disappeared for a few days. Honestly, who could blame him? He ended up in a Las Vegas hospital for precautionary CT scans. Head and face—nothing serious, just making sure everything was okay.
Good news: The tests came back clean.
By Tuesday, January 27, Paddy finally broke his silence on Instagram. He thanked his fans for all the support and owned up to the loss. No excuses from him.
He wrote, “Hope everyone enjoyed my fight just as much as I did. I want to thank everyone who came to support and everyone watching at home. I’m all good; no injuries. I went into the fight feeling amazing, had a great camp and an easy weight cut.
No excuses; the better man won on the night [Justin Gaethje]. Congratulations, brother; it was an honour to share the cage with such a legend. Go get that undisputed title; your career deserves it.
Hopefully, we can run it back for the undisputed because I still know it’s in my destiny to win that gold! UFC, thank you for the opportunity. You all know I’ll be back for that belt in the near future.”
Even though he lost, the fight earned “Fight of the Night” honours. The loss snapped his nine-fight win streak and put his UFC record at 7-1. It was also the first time he went a full five rounds against a top-tier lightweight. The result stings, but he hung in there. Showed a lot of grit when it mattered most.
Before Gaethje, “The Baddy” was on a tear—beating names like Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and King Green. He’d become one of the UFC’s hottest rising stars.
Yeah, this loss put his title chase on hold. But it didn’t kill it. Paddy proved he belongs with the best at 155. A comeback fight later in 2026 seems like a lock—maybe on an international card, maybe during International Fight Week. One thing’s for sure: he’s not done hunting for UFC gold.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRADE JAREN JACKSON JR. TO UTAH JAZZ IN 8-PLAYER BLOCKBUSTER
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz, creating a record $28.8 million trade exception for 2026.
The Memphis Grizzlies turned heads on Tuesday, pulling off a blockbuster trade that sent two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr to the Utah Jazz. Along with Jackson, the Grizzlies shipped out Vince Williams Jr, John Konchar, and Jock Landale. Coming back their way: Walter Clayton Jr, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and, maybe the most important part, three future first-round picks.
And honestly, it feels like Memphis isn’t done stirring the pot. Inside the organisation, they see Zach Edey and Cedric Coward as the future. Both went late in the lottery in the past two drafts, and the Grizzlies landed some value in the second round this year, too, grabbing Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer.
All this movement means Ja Morant’s future in Memphis suddenly looks shaky. He’s been the face of the franchise since they took him No. 2 overall back in 2019. When he’s healthy, he’s electric—no question. But injuries and off-court drama have slowed him down, and now, with the trade deadline closing in, the Grizzlies are openly shopping him. Teams around the league are watching.
There’s another wrinkle here: by dealing Jackson, Memphis created a massive trade exception—$28.8 million, the biggest in NBA history, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania. It’s a huge chess piece. With that exception, the Grizzlies can absorb big, ugly contracts from other teams in exchange for more draft picks. Think of what the Thunder did a few years back—stockpiling picks by taking on bad deals until they rebuilt into a contender.
Now, you’ve probably heard Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name floating around in trade rumours. He hasn’t officially asked out of Milwaukee, but everyone in the league expects something to happen soon. Teams like the Timberwolves and Knicks are circling. The Grizzlies? They’re not likely to chase Giannis directly. But with that trade exception, they could play a big role as a third team—taking on salary dumps or unwanted contracts, collecting more picks, and helping another franchise pull off the Giannis blockbuster. Memphis just put itself squarely in the middle of the NBA’s hottest rumour.
KLINT KUBIAK SNUBS NFL RIVALS TO LEAD RAIDERS’ NEW ERA UNDER TOM BRADY
The Las Vegas Raiders are zeroing in on Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as their next head coach, with Tom Brady leading the search.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of a huge shakeup right now. Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, is set to become their new head coach—and honestly, he’s nothing like Pete Carroll.
Kubiak’s still in his 30s, calling plays on offence, while Carroll just wrapped up last season as the NFL’s oldest head coach. The Raiders had their eyes on Ben Johnson previous year, but when he decided to take the Bears job, they turned to Carroll instead.
This time, Las Vegas seemed to have that same level of interest in Kubiak, but they had to wait things out because Seattle was still in the playoffs. Tom Brady, who’s a minority owner with the Raiders, clearly played a big part in picking the new coach.
Since nothing’s official until after the Super Bowl, Brady can’t come right out and talk about Kubiak joining the team. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to sharing what he liked about the guy.
“Klint’s played to his team’s strengths. Last week, he did a ton of good things against a really strong Rams defence,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast. “That’s what it took for them to win. The Rams are a tough team. That game in Seattle could’ve gone either way... Seattle really had to play a complete game in all three phases to pull it out, and they’ll need to do the same this weekend in Santa Clara.”
Brady also talked about Fernando Mendoza.
Another big reason the Raiders’ coaching job is so appealing? They’ve got the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Everyone expects them to grab Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Brady doesn’t have to be secretive about it—nobody’s jumping ahead of them in the draft. He was pretty open about how much he likes Mendoza.
“What do I value most? When I see him, he’s always talking up his teammates. He wins the Heisman, and he’s giving credit to everyone else,” Brady said. “That’s the kind of attitude you want in a leader.”
Kubiak focused on the Super Bowl, not the job switch.
Kubiak’s career is about to take off, but right now, he’s locked in on trying to win his first Super Bowl. So, he isn’t ready to talk about the Raiders just yet.
“I’m coaching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and that’s all I’m thinking about,” Kubiak told reporters on Monday. “I’m just excited for this week and this game.”
Not everyone in Seattle is thrilled to see Kubiak go. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had nothing but praise after working with him this year.
“He was unbelievable,” Darnold said Monday. “The stuff I picked up from Klint—just with schemes, and then learning from him as a coach and a person—the grit. He’s up before the sun, gets to the facility at 4 or 4:30, and leaves later than anyone. The guy just grinds. He loves football, and he’s always straight with his players. I know I really appreciated that, and so did the rest of the guys.”