Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to begin a new era, leaving behind ESPN in favor of signing a billion-dollar deal with Paramount+, which is huge for fight fans because that means the pay-per-view (PPV) era is dead (except if you live here). Headlining the first event of the year — which now has a new start time — will be an interim Lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, who will fight for the right to face Ilia Topuria in the future. In the re-vamped co-main event, Sean O’Malley will face off against Yadong Song in a pivotal Bantamweight bout.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: Justin Gaethje poses during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC 324: “Gaethje vs. Pimblett”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC 324? Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett Lightweight title fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC 324? TONIGHT (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026), beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC 324 take place? T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How can I watch UFC 324? The Paramount+ “Prelims” matches online are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
How do I bet on UFC 324? Checkout the latest lines right here.
Where can I get live UFC 324 updates and results? Get full UFC 324 play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
The Lightweight division is currently, seeing as how division champion, Ilia Topuria, is on hiatus dealing with personal issues. In the meantime, the weight class will crown an interim champion as Gaethje and Pimblett throw down to see who gets to face “El Matador” later this year (sorry, Arman). Gaethje has tasted interim gold before after he defeated Tony Ferguson in May 2020, and also won the “BMF” title by knocking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. That said, he did come up short in his previous two bids to win the undisputed strap against Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a win over “The Baddy,” he will earn his third — and perhaps final — chance to win that strap. The knockout artist has teased retirement recently, and his back-and-forth verbal squabbles with Dana White and Daniel Cormier regarding fighter pay aren’t doing him any favors when it comes to his stance with the promotion. At this point of his career, though, I doubt “The Highlight” cares what anyone thinks … his bosses included.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: Paddy Pimblett of England speaks with Joe Rogan during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Against Pimblett, Gaethje will run into a rising star in the division who has shown he possesses a unique set of skills to compete at the highest level. That said, many have questioned the reason(s) he got a chance to fight for the title instead of Arman Tsarukyan seeing as how “The Baddy’s” UFC strength of schedule isn’t exactly the toughest. He is perfect (7-0) inside the Octagon with five finishes, but his toughest tests were against Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler. But, you can’t blame Pimblett for taking the golden opportunity since he is clearly being pushed by the promotion as a potential superstar for them moving forward. So, what better chance to have him try to win a world title in the debut event on Paramount+? And if he’s victorious, he will prove matchmakers and the powers that be right and give them the last laugh. If he falls short, it won’t be the end of the world because there will be those that may excuse his defeat by saying it was too soon. At any rate, it’s a win-win for him.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: Nikita Krylov of Ukraine poses on the scale during the UFC 324 official weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Nikita Krylov is currently on a two-fight losing streak, while Modestas Bukauskas has won four in a row. And yet, UFC matchmakers felt this was a good fight to book. I can’t wrap my head around matchups such as these that don’t make sense based on recent track records.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 07: Kayla Harrison faces off with former champion Amanda Nunes after her victory over Julianna Pena in the UFC women’s bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
One of the most anticipated fights of the night (or perhaps ever?!?!?) went up in smoke after Kayla Harrison had to withdraw from her first-ever title women’s Bantamweight title defense — which was set to co-headline the card — against Amanda Nunes because of a neck injury. Harrison underwent surgery and will now be out for at least half of 2026, leaving “Lioness” to ponder her next move.
In addition, Alexa Grasso was forced out of her fight against Rose Namajunas due to an injury, and she was replaced by Natalia Silva. “Thug Rose” will attempt to build off the win she got over Miranda Maverick last summer in hopes of locking down a title fight. Silva, meanwhile, is on a 13-fight win streak and is undefeated (7-0) inside the Octagon.
Ricky Turcios and Cameron Smotherman were set to throw down in a Bantamweight bout before it was scratched after Smotherman fainted after stepping off the scales. It was the obvious that it was the move to make seeing as how he was rushed to the hospital and was in no condition to compete.
The good news? Smotherman appears to be just fine.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Adam Fugitt and Ty Miller face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Ty Miller will be making his UFC debut after earning his spot with a win on Contender Series. He is undefeated (6-0-1), making his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut just three years ago. He will face Adam Fuggit, who is 2-3 inside the Octagon and is coming off a first round knockout loss at the hands of Islam Dulatov last summer (see it again here).
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez will collide in what should be an intriguing Lightweight affair (emphasis on intriguing). Johnson is currently on a three-fight win streak — his first in more than one decade — and has found a new groove after years of inconsistency. As for Hernandez, he has turned it around after dropping back-to-back fights by winning his last four in a row.
Josh Hokit , meanwhile, impressed in his UFC debut. securing a 58-second knockout win over Max Gimenis, his seventh straight finish. He will look to keep it going against Denzel Freeman, who made good in his own UFC debut by defeating Marek Bujlo via unanimous decision back in Nov. 2025.
Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev collide in a Middleweight showdown. Gautier has a record of 9-1 and is currently riding an eight-fight win streak and is one of the hottest prospects on UFC’s roster at the moment. As for Pulyaev, he is 1-1 so far inside the Octagon and is looking to secure his second straight win under UFC’s banner by upsetting the man they call “Mini Ngannou.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia and Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Umar Nurmagomedov is beginning his march back toward another title fight after coming up short against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. He did bounce back with a win over against Mario Bautista, and a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo — the former Flyweight champion — would be a good way back.
“Daico,” meanwhile, snapped his two-fight losing streak after defeating Montel Jackson back in Oct. 2025. He also failed to make weight, tipping the scales more than two pounds heavy, forfeiting 20 percent of his purse to Nurmagomedov before they even step inside the Octagon.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Alex Perez and Charles Johnson face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Alex Perez needs a win in the worst way if he wants to hang onto his spot on UFC’s roster because he has lost two straight and five of six overall. It’s a drastic downfall for the Mexican-born fighter after winning five of his first six bouts inside the Octagon. And he has another tough task ahead of him in Charles Johnson, who is 5-1 in his last six fights.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong of China face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
In the co-main event of the evening, Sean O’Malley will tango with Song Yadong. “Suga” is looking to erase the memory of his back-to-back beatdowns at the hands of the aforementioned Dvalishvili. Despite being a UFC favorite — both by the promotion and fans — O’ Malley will have to prove he deserves to get back into the championship hunt … and it starts with taking out Yadong. Speaking of which, Yadong has a big opportunity to jump the line by taking out a former champion. He is 3-1 in his last four fights, so if he can get a win over O’Malley he will definitely get bumped up a few spots and give him the right to call for a title fight.
Jean Silva had his momentum halted at the hands of Diego Lopes back in Sept. 2025, being on the wrong end of a knockout defeat (see it again here). The loss snapped his 13-fight win streak, and sent him back to the drawing board. Now, he will attempt to get back into the win column when he goes up against Arnold Allen, who snapped his two-fight losing streak by defeating Giga Chikadze last summer.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 23: Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic and Derrick Lewis face off during the UFC 324 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena on January 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
In Heavyweight action, Derek Lewis returns to take on Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Lewis is currently on a two-fight win streak after knocking out Rodrigo Nascimento and Tallison Teixeira in back-to-back outings (video replays here and here). Cortes-Acosta, meanwhile, is on a two-fight win streak and has a big opportunity at hand to lock down one of the biggest wins of his career that can propel him up the 265-pound ladder. It’s now or never for “Black Beast” if he wants to make a case for another title shot.
I’ll be honest, I was expecting the promotion to come out of the gates throwing haymakers for its Paramount+ debut with a stacked card. I get it, the fight between Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes fell through, but even with that one you would think bigger fights with bigger names would be the recipe to come out strong. The main event is decent, but let’s not act like it’s a mega-bout. I worry that now that there are no more PPV events that have to be purchased that the cards will be a bit watered down in an attempt to spread out the talent throughout the year. Time will tell.
UFC 324 Main Event on Paramount+:
155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for interim lightweight title
UFC 324 Main Card on Paramount+ (9 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes — CANCELED (details here)
135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley vs. Yadong Song
265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
125 lbs.: Rose Namajunas vs. Natalia Silva (not Alexa Grasso)
145 lbs.: Jean Silva vs. Arnold Allen
UFC 324 Late ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (7 p.m. ET):
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo
185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
UFC 324 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+, UFC Fight Pass (5 p.m. ET):
125 lbs.: Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
265 lbs.: Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
135 lbs.: Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman – CANCELED (details here)
170 lbs.: Ty Miller vs. Adam Fugitt
For much more on this weekend’s UFC 324 event click here.