UFC 324 Preview
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is live TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) with the first numbered event of the year (not a PPV anymore, remember!). UFC 324 is the first show of the Paramount+ era and the first numbered event that is not a PPV in the United States (you’ve still got to pony up extra for it in Canada, the U.K. and most other places).
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UFC 324’s main event is Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim Lightweight title. The interim 155-pound strap is in play since Ilia Topuria has gone on hiatus to deal with some issues in his personal life.
Much has been said about the worthiness of these two fighters for this title (like this), especially when Arman Tsarukyan is being left out in the cold. Gaethje is coming off a win over Rafael Fiziev back in March 2025. That was his first fight since his epic UFC 300 knockout loss to Max Holloway in 2024 (relive that here). Pimblett’s last fight was his drubbing of Michael Chandler. Pimblett is on a long win streak in UFC, but his last half-dozen opponents have all been on the wrong side of 35.
The co-main event was supposed to be Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes for Harrison’s Bantamweight title, a title Nunes had held for a record time. However, that fight was cancelled after it was revealed that Harrison was requiring neck surgery (details here). That fight has now been shelved, possibly indefinitely.
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong has been promoted to the co-main slot. Those two will be hoping to get another fight with Petr Yan, this time with a title on the line.
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Rounding out the main card is Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis, Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva and Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas.
UFC 324’s “Prelims” have some interesting match-ups, including super prospect Ateba Gautier taking on Andrey Pulyaev, among others.
UFC 324 Start Date and Time
Well, this is easy — so long as you are in the United States.
You can watch all of UFC 324 with Paramount+. The Early Prelims start at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Late Prelims start at 7 p.m. ET. and the Main Card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET.
I will be providing live play-by-play, instant results, highlights and updates for all the fights right here starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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See you then! Don’t forget to say “Hi” in the comments, too.
UFC 324 QUICK RESULTS
Main card
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155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) — HIGHLIGHTS
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135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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265 lbs.: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis by TKO (ground and pound), round 2 (3:14) — HIGHLIGHTS
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125 lbs.: Natalia Silva def. Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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145 lbs.: Jean Silva def. Arnold Allen by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims
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125 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier def. Andrey Pulyaev by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov def. Modestas Bukauskas by KO (punches), round 3 (4:57) — HIGHLIGHTS
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125 lbs.: Alex Perez def. Charles Johnson by TKO (left hook), round 1 (3:16) — HIGHLIGHTS
Early Prelims
UFC 324 PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES
Final Thoughts
Well the first UFC event of the Paramount+ era is now in the books and… it looked and felt just like a ESPN event.
In the main event Justin Gaethje showed no respect for Paddy Pimblett’s striking. He stepped to the Liverpudlian and threw bombs at him, forcing him to back up. Those bombs landed early and often and before too long Pimblett was bloody and bruised. Pimblett landed plenty of his own shots, but his hands weren’t as hard as Gaethje’s battle tested chin. Gaethje managed to maintain the pressure for most of the fight and, in the end, it was a pretty clear decision win for the American.
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In the co-main Sean O’Malley turned on the style late on to win a pivotal third round against Song Yadong. In that fight he used his length and his speed to harass Song from the outside. In the third O’Malley got into a flow and started landing very hard shots, which left Song bloody at the end.
Before those fights Waldo Cortes-Acosta extended his winning streak by beating down Derrick Lewis. Lewis was never able to catch up to Cortes-Acosta and after going down, on possibly a knee injury, Cortes-Acosta blew him away with brutal ground and pound.
Natalia Silva beat Rose Namajunas on the second fight of the main card. I scored it for Namajunas, though. As did the crowd, based on their boos. The fight was pretty dull, but Namajunas was able to land some hard kicks and also maintain a little control.
Jean Silva opened the main card with a decision win over Arnold Allen. This was close early on, but Silva’s power and speed ended up proving too much for Allen down the stretch. Silva was able to land some wicked combos and hurt Allen, but couldn’t do enough to stop him. He also stood on his back at one point, for giggles. Though, when the fight was over Silva wept and said how much he respected Allen.
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On the “Prelims” Umar Nurmagomedov dominated Deiveson Figueiredo, but didn’t do it with any kind of panache. Ateba Gautier came through a tough battle with Andrey Pulyaev, the first man he wasn’t able to put away quickly. Nikita Krylov finished Modestas Bukauskas late in their fight after Bukauskas failed to get out of first gear. Alex Perez got a quick finish over Charles Johnson after stunning Inner-G with a huge looping shot.
The early prelims saw two fights end at the 4:59 mark of round one. First Ty Miller beat up Adam Fugitt and then Josh Hokit blasted (and flipped off) Denzel Freeman.
Main card
Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett
Official decision: Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
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Round 5: Pimblett lands a big knee. Gaethje continues to show he can brush off these power shots from Pimblett, though. He responds with another big looping shot that stuns Pimblett. Pimblett shoots, but Gaethje is able to stay up and get his back to the fence. Pimblett keeps working the body lock, but he eventually has to let it go. Pimblett lands a combo, but he doesn’t seem to have the power needed to turn off Gaethje’s lights. Both men are exhausted. The last ten seconds are very sloppy and chaotic. Pimblett wins the round, but not the fight.
48-47 Gaethje
Round 4: Pimblett starts well, but Gaethje is able to land some clubbing overhands. He then snaps Pimblett down with the front headlock again. Gaethje lets him up. And he’s able to land more of those big single shots. Pimblett is looking hurt. Gaethje bullies him into the fence again. Pimblett’s lip is now cut open. Pimblett lands a nice combo, but Gaethje responds with a takedown.
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39-37 Gaethje
Round 3: Pimblett lands some good jabs. He still looks a little foggy, though, and his movement has slowed down a lot. Gaethje is prioritizing leg kicks in this round. He seems a little gun shy with his hands, as if he’s suffered an injury to one of them. Pimblett is able to take back some momentum because of that. The fight is paused for a low blow on Gaethje. Pimblett lands leg kicks and a nice jab when the action is resumed.
29-28 Gaethje
Round 2: Pimblett lands hard leg kicks. Gaethje walks through them and tries to throw bombs. He drags Pimblett down and works a front headlock, but that doesn’t last long as Pimblett gets to his feet. Gaethje wades forwards with more big shots. Pimblett isn’t getting caught by them, fully, but he’s getting tired from having to backtrack so much. Gaethje snaps Pimblett down with the front headlock again. This time he knees Pimblett on the way up. Pimblett then drops Pimblett with a right hook. He lands some ground and pound against the cage. He lands some big shots as the round expires, cutting Pimblett around the eye.
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20-18 Gaethje
Round 1: Gaethje stalks forwards, throwing single shots. Pimblett backtracks and leans in with shots that land, but look like they have much power behind them. Gaethje gets a knockdown! Pimblett recovers quickly, though. Gaethje’s confidence grows and he starts diving in trying to land something big. He’s not able to get it, though, and he eats some counters for his trouble. Gaethje tries to trap Pimblett along the fence and the action is paused for a potential eye poke on Pimblett. Pimblett lands good leg kicks on the restart. Gaethje storms forwards and tries to land a combo on the fence. Pimblett clinches.
10-9 Gaethje
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong
Official decision: Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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Round 3: Both men know they can win this fight in this round. O’Malley’s movement looks very stunted thanks to the damage Song did to his legs in the previous round. He’s still able to lean in and land some good jabs. Song keeps coming forwards, though. Song is chasing for a KO shot, but he doesn’t have the reach. O’Malley is able to lean out of danger. He responds with a good one-two and then a knee. He’s split open Song’s lip and is starting to look like a winner. Song is out of ideas.
29-28 O’Malley.
Round 2: Song is very active, closing the distance and landing punches and hard leg kicks. He gets O’Malley down and is able to keep him there for a decent chunk of time. O’Malley seems slowed by the leg kicks. Song gets a second takedown and solidifies the round.
19-19
Round 1: A lot of feinting without anyone over-committing in this round. O’Malley is trying to land from range, but Song’s lateral movement has been good enough to prevent O’Malley landing anything solid. Song changes levels and gets a takedown with thirty seconds left of the round. It’s a hard round to score. Given that takedowns are supposed to be depriortized, I guess O’Malley takes it for landing a good couple of kicks and jabs.
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10-9 O’Malley
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis
Official decision: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis by TKO (ground and pound), round 2 (3:14)
Round 2: Lewis looks slow in the second. Cortes-Acosta still seems fresh. He leans in and jabs away at Lewis. He then dodges out the way of Lewis’ big looping shots. Cortes-Acosta dodges a few more shots and then lands a counter that puts a tired Lewis down. Cortes-Acosta gets on him and drills him with ground and pound for the finish.
Round 1: Well that was a round. Not much to speak about, though. They stayed on the outside and mostly missed punches. Cortes-Acosta scored some low kicks and that’s enough to give him the round.
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10-9 Cortes-Acosta
Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas
Official decision: Natalia Silva def. Rose Namajunas by unanimous decision (29-28. 29-28, 29-28)
Round 3: Another lacklustre round. Silva came out chasing the fight, needing a finish. She didn’t get anywhere near to that, though.
29-28 Namajunas
Round 2: A lot more futility in the striking exchanges in this round, though Silva is at least looking a little aggressive. Namajunas manages to take her down and spend a good chunk of the round on top while Silva tries to set up an armbar that never comes.
20-18 Namajunas
Round 1: Not a lot happens in the opening round, with both women throwing a lot of strikes at the air just in front of their opponent. Silva seems especially tentative. She lets Namajunas come forwards and land kicks and out strike her in the round.
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Namajunas 10-9
Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva
Official decision: Jean Silva def. Arnold Allen by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Round 3: Silva came out aggressive with combos in the third. Allen tried to establish some wrestling, but Silva was able to prevent a takedown. Silva then opted for some clinch control and landed a flash takedown. Late in the round Silva lands some clubbing head kicks. He also takes a moment to jump off Allen’s prone body. That’s different. I have him winning that round and the fight.
Silva 29-28.
Round 2: Allen lands a hard one-two early and gets a finger wag from Silva. Silva responds with a takedown and some hard shots as Allen stands. Allen comes back with a flying knee right to Silva’s eye. That causes some damage and might hurt Silva’s ability to see later on. Silva sneaks in some hard punches, but then gets caught with another hard knee. Silva responds with another combo. Silva lands a spinning elbow and then laughs with his tongue out. He’s entering his flow state now. Silva wins the round for me.
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19-19.
Round 1: Silva takes a patient approach to the round, looking to measure a big and/or special kind of shot. Allen shows a lot of movement and just chips away with mundane jabs and low kicks. He snaps Silva’s head back on one of those jabs. Silva uncorks a hard combo in the last ten seconds that wobbles Allen, but it’s not enough to take the round.
10-9 Allen.
Prelims
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo: Nurmagomedov got the job done against Figueiredo. It wasn’t very exciting, but it was very effective. Nurmagomedov predictably grounded Figueiredo throughout the fight and did enough to ensure he was always in dominant positions, without over-stretching himself looking for a finish.
Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev: Gautier dropped Pulyaev with the first punch he threw and it felt like this would be done in 20 seconds. But Pulyaev survived and used his movement to tire and frustrate Gautier. As the fight went on the Russian landed numerous body kicks and some good punches, too. But Gautier connected, too, and when he did it felt like he was close to finishing the fight — that’s what ultimately won him the fight on the scorecards.
Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas: Krylov started well, controlling the fight with wrestling and clinch work. He then stung Bukauskas with a little counter shot. From then on, Bukauskas withdrew into his shell and fought with very little confidence. The opposite was true of Krylov. With his confidence boosted, he let his hands go and was able to get the third buzzer beating finish of the night.
Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson: Johnson looked quick and clean early on, but maybe he was too casual. Perez caught him with a massive left hook and dropped him. Johnson was in survival mode from that moment on. Perez stayed patient and followed up with knees and another big hook to finally bring about the TKO. That’s a massive win for Perez, but also a very big stumble for Johnson.
Early Prelims
Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman: Hokit’s levels of athleticism and activity are very rare quantities in Heavyweight MMA. He had all that on display while whooping on Freeman, the best opponent he’s ever faced. He out wrestled him and lit him up on the feet to earn his second first round finish in a row (albeit in strange fashion with referee Mark Smith calling an end to it after he saw Freeman was exhausted and struggling to stay on his feet). Hokit also took the opportunity to taunt Freeman multiple times during the fight.
Adam Fugitt vs. Ty Miller: This was a competitive striking affair for much of the round until Miller found a way through with some big shots. Fugitt almost made it to the buzzer, but came up just short. The first fight in the Paramount+ era is a first round TKO.
Live stream begins at 5:30 p.m. ET. …
