UFC 324 kicks off the UFC on Paramount era, headlined by a big interim lightweight title tilt between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
Six long weeks have passed without a UFC event. This Saturday, the global MMA juggernaut returns, entering its Paramount era to start the new year with UFC 324 in Las Vegas.
There won't be a pay-per-view price tag attached to this weekend's event, which now becomes the norm going forward. All fans will need is a Paramount+ subscription to watch the lightweight division sort out its perpetual drama. Undisputed titleholder Ilia Topuria remains sidelined because of personal issues, leaving Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett to battle over the interim crown while No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan sits directionless on the sidelines. Rising British contender Pimblett has to overcome the most dangerous and high-level obstacle he's ever been tasked with. For Gaethje, he's admittedly making one last run at age 37, hoping to stifle the hype train of one of UFC's fastest rising stars.
The headliner is a proper pairing for a launch event like UFC 324. Although an additional title fight between women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes was lost, the card features more fan favorites, as the new co-main event sticks with the 135-pound division on the men's side with former champ Sean O'Malley looking to snap a two-fight skid against China's Song Yadong.
Harrison vs. Nunes was arguably the "biggest" fight on UFC 324, making its loss all the more noticeable. But the promotion ensured the card had a proper throwback feel for a numbered event. Several pivotal matchups fill out the night, especially down the homestretch.Â
Ultimately, it's a Gaethje-headlined show, which by itself earns any card a C grade at worst.
đź‘‘ UFC 324's lineup Crown grade: B. đź‘‘
Betting odds via BetMGM.
155 pounds: Justin Gaethje (+190) vs. Paddy Pimblett (-235)
It just wouldn't have been right if our first Uncrowned predictions piece of the year didn't start with a bit of disrespect. No, no, no — not from me, of course, but from the oddsmakers.
The odds boggle the mind for this one, and the only justification for Pimblett's status as the favorite is seemingly that he has youth on his side. Gaethje is the warrior's warrior, an elite-level talent who, aside from his first Dustin Poirier fight, has exclusively lost to all-time great champions. That's not even an opinion. Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira and Eddie Alvarez are and were the best of the best. As for Poirier, Gaethje got the last laugh, knocking him out in their rematch three years ago — not that Poirier's a bad person to lose to either.
Meanwhile, Pimblett has apparently proven himself by dismantling the ghosts of Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler. Can we get real for a moment? There are levels to this game, folks.
From a technical perspective, Pimblett has certainly shown flashes of brilliance, particularly against the likes of King Green and Jordan Leavitt. Very few fighters set up submissions and traps as gorgeously as "The Baddy" did in each of those victories. They both presented themselves in unique fashions, though. Against Leavitt, Pimblett efforted off the cage, where he does a lot of great work and makes his opponents think. Against Green, Pimblett hit a perfectly timed inside low kick as Green went for a takedown. That kick broke Green's rhythm, opening up the guillotine easier for Pimblett, which he modified mid-air into a triangle armbar. It doesn't get much prettier than that.
However, there are problems within those finishes in a Gaethje matchup. Pimblett isn't the greatest wrestler and doesn't set up his takedowns as well as he could. There's somewhat of an early Mackenzie Dern comparison to be made with him, and that won't bode well against Gaethje. "The Highlight" is a high-caliber wrestler and should be defensively sound enough to fend off Pimblett, because we all know Gaethje won't be the one shooting.
Then there's the fight on the feet, where Pimblett has nothing more than a puncher's or kicker's chance. As much damage as Gaethje has accumulated over the years, he's still proven to have a solid chin. Every strike from Gaethje is thrown with ill intent. His boxing combinations over time have become tight and lethal, chaining kicks behind them, as seen in the Poirier rematch. And don't forget his filthy leg kicks, which have been historic game changers.
None of this sounds favorable to Pimblett stylistically. He leaves his lead leg exposed and jabs like a man looking over the fence. (Shoutout to Wilson from "Home Improvement.") We've seen him get cracked in the past because of that.
Simply put, Pimblett has been very impressive in his past two fights and shown great improvement. But until I see him do what he's done against someone like Gaethje, I'm not entirely sold.
Pick: Gaethje
135 pounds: Sean O’Malley (-210) vs. Song Yadong (+170)
O'Malley is suddenly one win away from challenging again for UFC gold after Merab Dvalishvili lost the title to Petr Yan at the end of 2025.
Theoretically, Song should also be right in the mix with a potential title opportunity if he wins. Unfortunately for him, he has a recent loss to the new champion Yan, unlike O'Malley, who won a dramatic split decision over the Russian before his own title reign started in 2022.
For as long as this fight lasts, it should be a striker's delight. More than anything, O'Malley should be feeling mighty refreshed not having to worry about Dvalishvili's relentless pressure over the course of a possible 25 minutes. He'll have three rounds to work against Song. Does that give him an advantage? I wouldn't say it will, at least not as much as his physical attributes.
Range will be a huge factor in this one. If Song can't work his way into tight exchanges, he'll be in trouble and get picked apart from distance. Each man here likes to dictate the action, but Song is more comfortable walking forward. That can lead him right into the sniper-like strikes of O'Malley. If you're Song, mix in the Team Alpha Male-taught wrestling and make O'Malley think. How likely is that? Not very.
Pick: O’Malley
265 pounds: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-325) vs. Derrick Lewis (+260)
Derrick Lewis wanted this fight.
Guys, listen. You don't understand how big a deal that is in 2026. Lewis couldn't care less about who he fights these days, and occasionally doesn't even know who his opponents are.
I don't care that Waldo Cortes-Acosta has hit a sudden surge of momentum. We're going to see classic "Black Beast" happenings on the ever-appropriate stage of the inaugural Paramount event. Bombs — and shorts — will fly.Â
Make it 17 knockouts in the UFC.
Pick: Lewis
125 pounds: Natalia Silva (-425) vs. Rose Namajunas (+310)
The "Natty Ice" train isn't slowing down now, folks.
Natalia Silva is the truth, and I've been on the hype train since her masterclass promotional debut against Jasmine Jasudavicius in 2022. If you haven't seen that performance, finish reading this then go watch it. You won't be disappointed.
Silva is what you get when you take a submission specialist and download world-class kickboxing and taekwondo into their brain. She's barely shown a shred of her capability on the ground — somewhat like Gaethje — and chosen to style on her opponents with speedy punches and kicks from every direction. There are similarities to Valentina Shevchenko within her skill set, but in a quicker, more voluminous form. Luckily for Rose Namajunas, she's familiar with Shevchenko and hopes to test her might against the champion with a win. That makes Silva a perfect test to overcome.
Namajunas was once one of the most brilliant strikers in the sport. I'll never forget her 2018 rematch against Joanna Jedrzejczyk — a fight that legitimately looked like it had been sped up to 2x speed on live viewing. That was at strawweight, however, and Namajunas hasn't looked anywhere near her same championship status as a flyweight. That's not at all to say she isn't still a quality contender, because she is, and has shown it in her three wins.
This matchup with Silva is just far too similar to the one Namajunas had with Manon Fiorot, whom she lost to in her flyweight debut. These larger, faster, more patient strikers that she has to deal with at 125 pounds are a problem. Namajunas needs to find a way to slow the fight down, whether with her grappling or otherwise. No one has been able to do that against "Natty Ice" yet, and I'm not jumping off the train now. The Brazilian is your future champ, folks.
Pick: Silva
145 pounds: Arnold Allen (+225) vs. Jean Silva (-300)
Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva is probably the fight I struggled most to pick at UFC 324.
By all accounts, Arnold Allen is the better, more well-rounded fighter. He's been around and tested himself against some of the featherweight division's very best and has never been finished.
Yet I hate to say it like this ... but Silva straight-up just has that dog in him.
Despite his setback against Diego Lopes to close out 2025, Silva found plenty of success in that fight and nearly finished it at times, as he normally does. The man is dangerous wherever the action goes, and coming off a crushing defeat, I expect an even scarier, more motivated version of "Lord."
Allen will need to comfortably bully Silva and smother him for most of this fight to avoid any dangerous concussive blows. Fifteen minutes just feels like too long for a psycho like Silva not to find his mark.
Pick: Silva
Preliminary Notes
It's kind of crazy that Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo has been completely overshadowed on UFC 324. That's a fight that very easily could headline a Fight Night, and it almost feels like it already has. But nope. This will be a first-time collision, and Nurmagomedov is the biggest BetMGM favorite on the card, looking to send the former flyweight champion into retirement.
Elsewhere on the card, Ateba Gautier aims to continue catching bodies and Modestas Bukauskas has regained steam in the light heavyweight division and can add a big name to his résumé against Nikita Krylov. The same goes for Alexander Hernandez at lightweight, who's been rattling off win after win on a low-key impressive streak.
It should be a fun first UFC show of the year.
Quick picks
Umar Nurmagomedov (-1600) def. Deiveson Figueiredo (+850)
Ateba Gautier (-1000) def. Andrey Pulyaev (+625)
Modestas Bukauskas (-150) def. Nikita Krylov (+125)
Alex Perez (+150) def. Charles Johnson (-180)
Alexander Hernandez (-160) def. Michael Johnson (+135)
Josh Hokit (-225) def. Denzel Freeman (+185)
Cameron Smotherman (-190) def. Ricky Turcios (+155)
Ty Miller (-450) def. Adam Fugitt (+340)
Category: General Sports
