Last night (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC 324. The debut event on Paramount+ after a lengthy layoff kicked off with a bang in exceedingly strange circumstances. Two bouts were cancelled in the final 48 hours after a weigh-ins face plant and suspicious betting activity — welcome to combat sports, CBS! Fortunately, the fighters who did make it to the stage lived up to the hype from an early string of knockouts all the way to the fiery main event of Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett.
Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: Justin Gaethje of the United States punches Paddy Pimblett of England during their interim lightweight title bout in UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) Getty Images
Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett threw down!
To Pimblett’s detriment, the main event was a quintessential WSOF era Gaethje brawl. He didn’t worry about any of that footwork nonsense and even largely abandoned his ferocious low kick in fear of the takedown. Instead, Gaethje relentlessly pushed forward, always trying to keep a hand on his foe. As a result of that closeness, he was able to land clubbing uppercuts and massive right hand swings, particularly as Pimblett tried to pull away from the clinch.
Scousers may not get knocked out, but they certainly get knocked down! I lost count of how many times an exchange put Pimblett on his butt via sheer impact or an off-balanced “Baddy.” To his credit, Pimblett hung tough through a lot of bad moments and won the third round definitively. He spent a lot of time trying to time Gaethje’s dip with knees and uppercuts, but his best lands were actually the rare straight punches and frequent chopping low kicks that definitely wore down the veteran.
All told, it was a nice win from the old guard.
Still … while I enjoyed the wildness of Gaethje vs. Pimblett, I cannot claim to be impressed by the quality. If we’re being frank, Gaethje looked old. His standup was more limited than ever, and his reactions to Pimblett’s offense were awkward at best. Pimblett, conversely, looked downright awful at times. His lack of structured boxing cost him badly, as he was quickly hurt any time Gaethje herded him into the fence. From the very first round, he was turning his eyes away from Gaethje and running away from exchanges to reset.
This is not the best Lightweight has to offer in 2026. Arman Tsarukyan, Ilia Topuria, and Max Holloway are all actively much better than the action displayed in this main event. Whichever man first receives the chance to prove their superiority will do so emphatically.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: (L-R) Sean O’Malley strikes Song Yadong of China in a bantamweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong was an extremely close fight.
Much of the first round was a trade of low kicks versus front kicks. Yadong attacked whatever leg was available and tried to flurry into punches, whereas O’Malley stuck front kicks and tried to bait his opponent into easy counters. Occasionally, O’Malley landed a jab, but Yadong finished the round strong with a big takedown and some control in the closing minute.
The second was the best round of the fight for the Chinese athlete, whose low kicks began to bother O’Malley. He timed some hard right hands over the top and landed another big takedown, heading into the final frame with momentum on his side. Instead, “Suga” rebounded in great fashion, finally finding the mark with his hands more and more often. He bloodied up the nose and mouth of Yadong and was really flowing on the feet, clearly taking the closing five minutes.
It all came down to the first, which the judges ultimately gave to Sean O’Malley. The former champion is back in the win column, perhaps setting him up for the Petr Yan rematch? Alternatively, O’Malley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is an obvious fight to book after the Russian’s uneventful win over Deiveson Figueiredo earlier on the “Prelims.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: (R-L) Waldo Cortes Acosta of the Dominican Republic strikes Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta kept it simple against Derrick Lewis.
“The Black Beast” isn’t a complex fighter just a dangerous one. Appropriately, Cortes-Acosta diffused him not with fancy combinations or some elaborate strategy but with responsible footwork. Working behind his jab and low kick at a patient rate, “Salsa Boy” forced Lewis to swing at air while slowly beating up the older man. Back in the day, it took three or four rounds to pop the tires of Lewis, but he’s 40 years old now. After a mere five minutes, Lewis was stumbling over his feet and even sloppier than usual.
Right as the fight started getting a little boring and it felt like Waldo Cortes-Acosta could do more, he sat Lewis down with a short counter right hand. Seeing the wounded prey in front of him, Cortes-Acosta moved in and forced the finish quickly via ground strikes.
It was efficient and effective work. Cortes-Acosta has now won seven of his last eight and could find himself fighting for interim gold in the near future.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: (R-L) Jean Silva of Brazil strikes Arnold Allen of England in a featherweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Jean Silva vs. Arnold Allen more than lived up to the hype.
Allen started off the fight in incredible fashion. Working from the Southpaw stance and hiding behind his lead elbow, Allen jabbed and moved really well. He kept Silva turning and didn’t let him settle into his power. As a result, Silva didn’t throw a ton in the early going, but he was eating a lot of straight punches. Allen also kicked the calf with a quick switch kick well, continuing to off-balance the Brazilian and make it difficult to commit.
What’s so special about Silva isn’t the monstrous physicality or God-given power — it’s that he pairs those traits with a remarkably deep set of standup tools and the ability to adjust between them. Silva started finding success with his body punches towards the end of the first, and he used that opening to build his success. He began shifting in combination, playing a tricky game of both stepping up the middle with his right hand and stepping outside the lead leg in a tripping motion while punching. Off-balancing Allen further was Silva’s own inside calf kick, which bothered the boxer’s stance and set up Silva’s high kick to boot.
Silva attacked Allen from so many different ranges. He landed hard kicks to great effect, put together brilliant combos and spun into elbows in the pocket, and he even closed into the clinch to continue attacking on his own initiative with sneaky upward elbows and close-range body rips. As a result of his varied offense and brutal power, he shifted the tide back into his favor and continued to gain speed as the fight wore on. Allen remained the face of technical composure and threw hard in return, but the contest slowly slipped away from him despite his great effort.
UFC 324 was only the first event of 2026, but I still expect we’ll remember Silva vs. Allen favorably at the end of the year.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: (L-R) Nikita Krylov of Ukraine strikes Modestas Bukauskas of Lithuania in a light heavyweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
You could be forgiven for thinking Nikita Krylov’s UFC career was coming to a close.
“Miner” didn’t fight at all in 2024 and then was knocked out twice last year. To get stopped twice after having a historically iron chin? That’s a really bad sign. Meanwhile, Modestas Bukauskas entered the matchup riding a four-fight win streak, having scored three stoppages in that span. The momentum was fully on the side of “The Baltic Gladiator,” but Krylov turned back the clock!
Much of Krylov’s high-level success has come on the canvas, where he can be a relentless grinder who chases the finish. He actually has a Kyokushin karate background though, and it was fully on display here! He tied together his punches and kicks in unorthodox fashion, which threw off Bukauskas’ timing. Critically, Krylov was more patient as well, refusing to run straight into his foe’s counter punches.
As a result of his patience and crafty kicks, Krylov wore down and frustrated Bukauskas. Down most of three rounds, Bukauskas tried to swing big late and stepped into a monster overhand right, securing Krylov the buzzer-beater KO and keeping the knockout streak going.
If Krylov ever learns to combine his patient kickboxing and grappling onslaught, the 33-year-old might actually make the jump from dark horse contender to genuine title threat.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 24: (L-R) Alex Perez strikes Charles Johnson during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Alex Perez defeats Charles Johnson via first-round knockout (highlights): There are two lessons to take away from this fight. First and foremost: do not count out Alex Perez. The man has been extremely inconsistent in the last five or so years, but he went on a great run and fought for the title back in the day for a reason. He has great overall skills and can absolutely crack, which Johnson found out the hard way in the form of roughly two dozen accurate left hooks right on the chin. The second takeaway here is that, unfortunately, Perez is a fake Flyweight. He missed weight yet again, and issues at previous weigh-ins have cancelled fights outright. You have to feel some sympathy for Johnson, who suffers a momentum-halting loss at the hands of a fighter who should be competing at 135-pounds.Josh Hokit defeats Denzel Freeman via first-round knockout: I do not enjoy the Hokit troll antics, but it must be admitted that he’s far better than the usual Heavyweight up-and-comer. He has a legitimate wrestling background, which is already more than most. Better yet, Hokit moves with a fluidity and athleticism that is rare for the big men. Generally, the next big concern about a Heavyweight prospect with those talents is cardio, but Hokit ran Freeman ragged by the end of the first frame here! His combination of pressure, wrestling, and power broke down Freeman inside a round, leaving him stumbling and gasping until the referee intervened. Like it or not, Hokit is 2-0 inside the Octagon and looks like he’ll be in the Top 15 sooner than later.Ty Miller defeats Adam Fugitt via first-round knockout (highlights): Ty Miller really impressed in his official UFC debut after a strong Contenders Series showing last summer. Long and lanky for 170-pounds, Miller boxed the ears off Fugitt, lining up a lovely right hand that crashed through the center of Fugitt’s guard to floor him. Fugitt popped back up, but Miller stayed on him and dropped him again with more pummeling right hands just before the bell. Miller is still green at 25 years of age and 7-0, but he looks like a talented prospect!For complete UFC 324 results and play-by-play, click here.