It’s hard not to love Paddy the Baddy, but Justin Gaethje might’ve stole some fans with that entrance. UFC 324 is underway tonight in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, featuring a main card matchup between American Justin Gaethje and Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight championship.
And while Paddy was a -238 favorite coming into the night, and the undisputed fan favorite for his fun, care free attitude, Gaethje won over some fans with his… entrance song?
That’s right… the man walked out to “Standing Outside The Fire” by Garth Brooks. Written by Garth himself, alongside Jenny Yates, it was released in 1993 as the third single from his album In Pieces. Not exactly the kind of pump up song you’d expect to hear at a UFC event, but given Garth’s reputation for burying bodies, it’s actually an ELITE choice.
The song’s entire premise is that “Life is not tried, it is merely survived” if you don’t take risks. In the UFC, where one mistake can end a career, the lyrics about being “willing to be burned” for the sake of glory resonate deeply with the UFC fighter persona. But in a weird way, the dark internet lore surrounding Garth Brooks adds an even better layer of unhinged energy to a UFC walkout. If a fighter walks out to a man that the internet jokingly calls a serial killer, it adds a touch of psychological warfare to the entrance. It’s that “if you know, you know” internet culture clashing with a high-stakes professional fight.
Check it out:
And MMA fans were LOVING it:
And the song proved to be a winner… as Gaethje bested Pimblett in a unanimous decision.
Earlier in the night, Sean O’Malley returned to the win column with a technical masterclass against Song Yadong, Waldo Cortes-Acosta secured the biggest win of his career by stopping the “Knockout King,” Derrick Lewi, and Natalia Silva proved she is ready for gold with a dominant striking display against former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas.
Unfortunately the the highly anticipated co-main event between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes postponed due to a neck injury for Harrison.
