For the first time since 2021, a numbered UFC event will not air on pay-per-view in the U.S. this Saturday when UFC 324 comes to Las Vegas in the first event of a new broadcasting era for the MMA worldwide leader.
UFC’s new seven-year media rights deal with Paramount Skydance (the parent company of CBS Sports) takes the product off of PPV domestically and onto the streaming network Paramount+.
In the main event, which emanates from T-Mobile Arena, Justin Gaethje and British star Paddy Pimblett will square off for the interim lightweight championship while top-five bantamweights Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong meet in the co-main event (after an injury to women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison postponed her superfight against former two-division champion Amanda Nunes).
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Let’s take a closer look at the biggest storylines entering this weekend.
1. Can Paddy Pimblett become the early face of the Paramount era?
The flashy and charismatic 31-year-old from Liverpool, England, is certainly positioned to give it a try after lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s personal issues in the aftermath of his divorce left him unable to headline the first Paramount event. The biggest challenge for Pimblett, as he prepares to face all-action veteran Justin Gaethje for the interim 155-pound title, is that he will need to prove once and for all that he’s an elite fighter. “Paddy the Baddy” might be 7-0 inside the Octagon since his 2021 UFC debut, but he has had some ups and downs along the growing process, including a highly disputed 2022 win over Jared Gordon and a history of heavy weight fluctuation between fights. The good news for Pimblett is that marriage and fatherhood seem to have matured him over the past two years and made him a more tactical and focused fighter as evidenced by back-to-back stoppage wins over veterans King Green and Michael Chandler. Should the Paramount era recharge the casual MMA audience by taking numbered events off of PPV, Pimblett’s ability to talk on the microphone could bring quasi Conor McGregor flashbacks to general sports fans who haven’t checked in on the product in a while. And an eventual matchup between them, should it take place at the White House, for example, could become a passing of the torch for popularity. But none of that matters if Pimblett can’t back it up inside the Octagon.
2. Justin Gaethje enters his last shot at cementing his unforgettable legacy
Already the greatest action fighter in MMA history (seriously, debate me on that) and a former interim lightweight champion and symbolic “BMF” champion, “The Highlight” has already authored a future Hall of Fame career worth being proud of. But nothing in combat sports sure stamps all-time greatness like becoming an undisputed divisional champion, which is something that has eluded Gaethje throughout his nine years in the Octagon despite two chances already. At 37, with a strong track record of late having won three of his last four, Gaethje said publicly over the past year that he would only continue fighting if it was for a title. And his longtime coach, Trevor Wittman, said recently that Gaethje will retire if he loses on Saturday. Even though he’s fighting Pimblett for the interim belt and not the full title, recent interviews suggest Gaethje is all in on leaving it all inside the Octagon to try and fulfill his longtime dream of becoming champion. And for a fighter so beloved for his willingness to entertain and brazenly welcome danger, an upset of Pimblett would put him in prime position for a storybook ending.
3. Let the auditions for the next bantamweight title challenger begin!
Petr Yan’s upset of Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch in December didn’t just snap an incredible 14-fight win streak for the former champion, it turned the division upside down. And while it’s certainly possible Dvalishvili could be rewarded for his activity (he attempted a record four title defenses in 2025) by being given an immediate trilogy, Saturday’s card offers a pair of top-10 bouts at 135 pounds that will likely serve as further auditions for Yan’s first title defense. Former champion Sean O’Malley will look to rebound from a pair of title losses to Dvalishvili by facing Song Yadong. Umar Nurmagomedov, who lost a close decision to Dvalishvili in their UFC 311 title bout last year, will also face former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. O’Malley might ultimately have the edge (should he defeat Yadong) not just because he’s the most marketable fighter of the four but because he defeated Yan via split decision in their non-title meeting in 2022. But Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is undoubtedly the most skilled among them and a fighter who many critics believe is inevitably going to raise the gold. Either way, one of the sports most consistently deep and competitive divisions is going to be fun to follow in 2026.
4. Natalia Silva is closing in on a shot at flyweight gold
A 7-0 record in the UFC since her 2022 debut and a win streak that has reached 13 consecutive overall has the Brazilian striker atop the women’s flyweight rankings at 125 pounds. And if her thorough decision win last May over former champion Alexa Grasso wasn’t enough to stamp her ticket to a title shot, it’s very likely that a victory over former two-time strawweight queen Rose Namajunas on Saturday would seal the deal. The 28-year-old Silva, who also owns victories over former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade and Jasmine Jasudavicius, will get a nice close-up after her bout was elevated onto the main card following the postponement of Harrison-Nunes. But it’s expected to be anything but an easy fight against Namajunas, 33, who is 4-2 since moving up in weight from 115 pounds in 2022 with her losses coming in competitive fights against top contenders Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield. Namajunas hasn’t looked completely comfortable at 125 pounds as of yet but has a history producing career-best performances just when it looks like her career is lacking momentum.
5. Don’t sleep on the rise of middleweight Ateba Gautier
At 6-foot-4 with an 81-inch reach, the 185-pound slugger known as “The Silent Assassin” has made a ton of noise in a short time period after debuting inside the Octagon last March. A native of Cameroon, Gautier (9-1) is just 23 and remains one of the most attractive prospects in the promotion following a knockout victory in his 2024 “Dana White Contender Series” bout that set up a trio of first-round knockouts to officially begin his UFC career. The muscular Gautier, who will take on Russian Andrey Pulyaev (10-3), has connected on 60% of his strikes through three fights and has many predicting he will enter the top 10 of the middleweight rankings before the new year is over. Gautier is also nearly a 10-to-1 betting favorite to defeat Pulyaev. Watch his rise closely.