Guys, I wish I could say this was pH๏τoshopped—but it wasn’t. The image circulating online, showing Paddy Pimblett’s eye stretched wide open after taking a brutal finger to the face, is very real. It was taken directly from last week’s fight, and it immediately reignited one of MMA’s most controversial recurring debates: eye pokes.

The bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett was widely considered entertaining and chaotic, and it marked a strong start to the UFC’s new Paramount era. But alongside the excitement came heavy criticism—of technique, safety, and even Gaethje’s long-term health.

The Eye-Poke Incidents

Two eye pokes occurred during the fight. The first, in round one, was the most severe. One still image from the exchange shows Pimblett’s eye visibly compromised, and many fans immediately labeled it one of the nastiest pokes seen in recent memory.

The second incident came in round two. This one went unnoticed by the referee, meaning Pimblett was not given a timeout. Unlike the first, it appeared to be a thumb rather than extended fingers that made contact with the eye.

That distinction became central to the debate.

Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson addressed the incident on his podcast, arguing that the second contact should not be considered an eye poke at all, and certainly not a foul worthy of a point deduction.

According to Thomson, Gaethje’s hand was closed, and the thumb simply “got away” during a natural striking motion. He compared the situation to early boxing eras in the 1970s and 1980s, when fighters frequently suffered eye injuries due to thumbs slipping through gloves—an issue later corrected by attaching the thumb to the glove itself.

Thomson’s stance was clear: this is part of MMA. The contact grazed the skin around the eye before entering the socket, and it wasn’t a clean or intentional poke. In his view, taking a point in that situation would be unreasonable.

A History That Fuels the Narrative

The controversy didn’t arise in a vacuum. Gaethje has faced eye-poke accusations before.

In 2018, during his first fight with Dustin Poirier, Gaethje was deducted a point in the third round after landing his second eye poke of the fight—the only time he has ever lost a point for the foul. Interestingly, Poirier later blamed the gloves, not Gaethje.

Poirier explained that the open-finger gloves make accidental eye contact unavoidable at times and emphasized that he never believed Gaethje was fighting dirty.

A year later, in 2019, Edson Barboza’s coach accused Gaethje of eye poking during their fight. Early in the first round, Gaethje rocked Barboza against the cage, and during the onslaught, a finger appeared to catch Barboza’s right eye. Barboza survived briefly but was knocked out roughly a minute later.

After the fight, Barboza’s coach posted an image of his fighter’s bloodsH๏τ eye on Instagram, stating that while they respected Gaethje and his team, they believed the fight would have lasted longer if not for the incident.

Fast forward to 2023, and Gaethje again found himself at the center of controversy following his first fight with Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje landed an eye poke in round two and went on to win by majority decision.

About a year later, Fiziev claimed in an interview that the eye poke cost him the fight, saying he couldn’t see out of his right eye for the remainder of the bout. According to Fiziev, he saw a “big white circle” and was effectively blind on that side.

Gaethje responded immediately and sharply on social media, mocking Fiziev for allegedly confusing which eye was poked and dismissing the excuse outright.

Gaethje Has Been on the Receiving End Too

Despite the growing narrative, Gaethje has also absorbed his share of eye pokes.

In 2021, Michael Chandler landed a blatant eye poke during their fight, prompting a timeout from the referee—though Chandler still managed to sneak in an extra strike afterward.

At UFC 300 in 2024, Max Holloway poked Gaethje in the eye twice in the same round. Gaethje never cited those fouls as reasons for his loss.

That context matters when evaluating Gaethje’s philosophy.

“The Wrong Mindset”

Ahead of his 2025 rematch with Fiziev, Gaethje was asked about the continued complaints surrounding their first fight. His response was blunt.

He said blaming losses on eye pokes reflects the wrong mindset—one he has never adopted himself. Gaethje explained that eye pokes happen because fighters are judging distance within inches and fractions of seconds while defending themselves instinctively.

According to Gaethje, if a fighter were skilled enough to intentionally poke someone in the eye, they’d be skilled enough to punch them clean in the chin instead.

He went further, calling intentional eye pokes nearly impossible due to the small target and the chaos of exchanges. Gaethje distinguished eye pokes from blatantly illegal actions like repeated back-of-the-head strikes, arguing that the latter are far more deliberate.

Technique Criticism and the Ilia Topuria Problem

While the eye-poke debate raged on, another wave of criticism hit Gaethje even harder: his performance level.

Former fighters, coaches, and analysts flooded podcasts and social media with harsh takes. Many claimed both Gaethje and Pimblett displayed low-level technique and would stand no chance against the reigning champion, Ilia Topuria.

Some went as far as calling Gaethje “the king of CTE,” criticizing his head movement, defensive habits, and willingness to absorb damage. Others said booking Gaethje vs. Topuria would be irresponsible, predicting a quick knockout—some within a minute.

The loudest and most personal criticism came from UFC legend Matt Brown and longtime coach Ray Longo.

Brown tweeted that he’d seen better technique at local shows. Longo, appearing on Jon Anik’s podcast, said he was concerned about Gaethje’s speech, suggesting he might be slurring his words and taking too much punishment. He labeled a potential Topuria fight a “disaster.”

Gaethje Fires Back

Gaethje didn’t take those comments lightly.

On his podcast, he responded directly—especially to Longo. Gaethje said it was frustrating to hear ex-fighters and coaches dismiss the fight and claim they showed worse technique than prelim fighters.

Addressing Longo specifically, Gaethje expressed disbelief that someone who once praised him was now publicly suggesting he had CTE after a single performance.

Gaethje argued that critics failed to understand adaptability. He pointed out that he has fought Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, Rafael Fiziev, and Paddy Pimblett—each requiring entirely different styles and strategies.

According to Gaethje, the Pimblett fight followed a specific game plan: keep his head in Pimblett’s chest, close distance, and make himself harder to hit. From his perspective, he executed exactly what his coaches asked of him.

Final Thoughts

The debate surrounding Justin Gaethje isn’t going away anytime soon. Eye pokes remain one of MMA’s most frustrating gray areas, and Gaethje’s history ensures every incident will be magnified.

Whether you see the Pimblett fight as proof of decline, proof of grit, or just another brutal chapter in Gaethje’s violent career likely depends on how you’ve always viewed him.

One thing is certain: Gaethje isn’t backing down—from critics, controversy, or the chaos that has defined his entire run at the top of the sport.