UFC 324 kicked off Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) new year last night (Sat., Jan 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the first event with Paramount+. In the main event of the evening, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett each put it all on the line in a five-round war, which saw “The Highlight” win a unanimous decision to become the new interim Lightweight champion (highlights here). In the co-main event of the event Sean O’ Malley defeated Song Yadong via unanimous decision to snap his two-fight losing streak (see it again here).
Winner: Justin Gaethje
Who He Should Face Next: Ilia Topuria
There is no clear timetable for when Topuria will return to action, but Gaethje is more than willing to wait for his return so he can attempt to unify the titles. Gaethje won his second interim belt after a great performance against Pimblett, but he would love nothing more than to finally be undisputed. A fight against “El Matador” is sure-to-be a highly-entertaining striking affair since both men prefer to let it all hang out when they keep the fight standing.
Winner: Sean O’ Malley
Who He Should Face Next: Umar Nurmagomedov
For whatever reason, O’ Malley thinks he is in line for a title shot and I just can’t my wrap my head around why. Prior to his win over Yadong he had lost two straight title fights against Merab Dvalishvili, and only had one title defense before coughing it up to “The Machine.” How getting one win since then warrants him getting a shot at the strap again is beyond me. That’s why “Suga” better be prepared to face off against Nurmagomedov, who defeated Deiveson Figueiredo at this event. Umar is on a two-fight win streak and is ranked on spot ahead of O’ Malley. Whether he likes it or not, O’ Malley won’t be chilling anytime soon.
Winner: Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Who he Should Face Next: Curtis Blaydes
After “Salsa Boy” stopped Derrick Lewis in round two of their Heavyweight bout, he called for a fight against Blaydes due to some sort of beef between the two. I personally do not mind the call out since they are only separated by one spot on the rankings at the moment, with Blaydes at No. 4 and Cortes-Acosta at No. 5. Josh Hokit called for a fight against Cortes-Acosta after he defeated Denzel Freeman, also at this event, but he is still to early into his UFC career to start getting a fight like that.
Winner: Natalia Silva
Who She Should Face Next: Valentina Shevchenko title fight
Silva won her eighth straight fight inside the Octagon after she earned a questionable decision win over Rose Namajunas. Indeed, many felt “Thug Rose” had done enough to get the win, but the judges felt otherwise. Nevertheless, Silva is still undefeated inside the Octagon which should be good enough to get her the next title fight against Shevchenko, who was last seen in action in Nov. 2024, defeating Zhang Weili at UFC 322.
Winner: Jean Silva
Who He Should Face Next: Aljamain Sterling
Silva earned his way back into the win column with an impressive win over Arnold Allen, a good bounce back following his loss to Diego Lopes. With a win over Allen, who is ranked No. 6, why not give him the man who is ranked ahead of him at No. 5 in Sterling. “Funkmaster” was last seen defeating Brian Ortega in Aug. 2025, so he should be ready to get back into the swing of things. For Silva, if he can take out a former champion in Sterling it will put him right in the Top 5 and close to his dream of fighting for a UFC world title.
For more UFC 324: “Gaethje vs. Pimblett” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
