Paddy Pimblett thinks he’s been getting better looks in sparring than Justin Gaethje for UFC 324.

Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) takes on Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) for the interim lightweight title on Jan. 24 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), with the winner expected to unify with champion Ilia Topuria.

Gaethje has been training with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top 15 ranked lightweight Fares Ziam ahead of UFC 324. While Pimblett rates both fighters highly, he doesn’t see them getting Gaethje ready for his style.

“It makes me laugh because it’s the second person now who’s got Kamaru Usman in to be a sparring partner for me when Kamaru Usman is nothing like me,” Pimblett told MMA Guru. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s one of the best welterweights of all time, but he is nothing like me. Again, Fares Ziam, very good fighter, ranked 15 now. I rate Fares, I think he’s a good fighter, but he’s nothing like me at all.”

Pimblett is the betting favorite against Gaethje, and he envisions himself being too much for him on the feet, and on the ground.

“I think I’d finish him wherever the fight goes, obviously,” Pimblett said. “I know he can bang, but every fight we break down our opponents, and it actually shocked me how much he gets hit. I know he takes one to give one, but you can’t really just do that at this level. That’s why he’s lost to people like Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, Charles (Oliveira), because you can’t just take one to give one, and I’m not just going to be standing there to let him hit me back. I’ll be using my range, keeping him on the outside, and I’ve got a feeling that I am going to knock him out, to be honest. I don’t know what it is. I’ve just got a sneaking suspicion I’m going to knock him out.

“I’ve been doing a lot of rounds with Luke Riley for this camp. Luke’s got much better technical striking than Justin Gaethje, and I’m having a lot of success sparring with Luke. One of my coaches Ellis (Hampson), used to fight himself, he’s the exact same build as Justin. He’s 5-(foot)-10 with a 70-inch reach, and I’ve been doing rounds with him. Literally because he doesn’t fight anymore and he’s just a coach, he’s just done Justin’s style for me. He hasn’t got his own style. He’s been doing Justin for me, and just the bits that we’re working, I can see me knocking him out or dropping him and then submitting him. People are going on about his takedown defense, but if I want to take him down, I will take him down. Simple as, but I can see myself dropping him, ending up on top, and either submitting him or TKO’ing with ground and pound.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Paddy Pimblett: Justin Gaethje not training with right people for me