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Wayne Rooney has hailed Paddy Pimblett a 'warrior' despite his defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. Gaethje got the nod from the judges after a relentless five-rounder, winning via unanimous decision as the scores came back 48-47 49-46 and 49-46.

Pimblett's seven-bout winning run in the UFC ended as a result of the defeat, but Wayne Rooney was full of praise for the heart his fellow Scouser showed. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: "What a fight. Big respect to Paddy Pimblett. Tough as they come. Warrior."

The first round saw Gaethje take Pimblett down early, but the Brit withstood the onslaught to regain his footing before an accidental eye poke to Pimblett saw the ring doctor enter the octagon. Pimblett was deemed fit to resume, and the fighters did just that, trading standing blows throughout the next two rounds.

Pimblett found himself on the back foot in the fourth round, and while in the final round he attempted to try and take Gaethje down, the American managed to stay on his feet. Pimblett was ultimately unable to land the finishing blow, however, and the two men embraced after the bell.

"I wanted to be walking away with that belt,” Pimblett said afterwards. “I know how tough I am and I don't need to prove that to anyone.

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"There is no man I'd rather lose to than the Highlight; he is someone I loved watching growing up and it shows why he is a legend.

"I think 48-47 was a fair scorecard. I won't lie, he hit me with a body shot in the first round and it got me. I thought I was winning the round up to that point.

"You live and you learn; I'm 31, I will be back better. You haven't seen the last of me."

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While Gaethje said: "Paddy is right; scousers do not get knocked out! What a gangster. I told him just then, I was just where you were at not too long ago.

“It is a crazy sport and an amazing life. I am so thankful to share it with you guys and I thank God every day for my parents. I hope you parents out there can be like my parents, leading by example."

Pimblett was sent to hospital after the fight, with UFC CEO Dana White revealing: "We sent Paddy Pimblett straight to the hospital and we're gonna send Gaethje too.

"He got dropped a bunch of times. And he obviously took some big shots from a guy who knocks everybody out. But I don't know if it's going to [affect him later in his career].

"It's tough to tell. You don't ever wanna see guys take too much punishment. But I don't know if tonight affected Paddy's longevity in his career at all.

"He showed tonight that he's tough, he's durable and he can take a punch. He can take a lot of punches, actually."