Paddy Pimblett has spoken publicly for the first time following his unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324, insisting he has no excuses after the defeat.

Pimblett, who was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital for medical checks after the five-round bout, released a statement on Instagram on Tuesday addressing the loss, which marked the first defeat of his UFC career. The Liverpool native had entered the contest as the bookies’ favourite in an interim lightweight title fight.

“Hope everyone enjoyed my fight just as much as I did,” Pimblett wrote on Instagram. “Want to thank everyone that came to support and everyone watching at home. I’m all good, no injuries, went into the fight feeling amazing had a great camp and an easy weight cut. No excuses the better man won on the night.”

Pimblett also praised his opponent and expressed his ambition to challenge for gold in the future. “Justin Gaethje, congratulations brother it was an honor to share the cage with such a legend. Go get that undisputed title, your career deserves it,” he wrote. “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’s all know I’ll be back for that belt in the near future.”

The bout was largely contested on the feet — according to UFC statistics, Pimblett went 0-for-5 on takedown attempts, while Gaethje secured three brief takedowns during the fight.

Although Pimblett did manage to score a comparable number of significant strikes compared to his opponent he was dropped twice and absorbed heavier damage as the contest progressed, leading to Gaethje securing a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Pimblett finished the fight with significant swelling around both eyes and several cuts, prompting UFC CEO Dana White to send him for immediate medical treatment rather than attending the post-fight press conference.

The loss leaves Pimblett with a 7-1 record in the UFC and a professional record of 23-4 overall.