UFC 324 was billed as the start of a new era, and it delivered far more than a ceremonial opener. On January 24, 2026, the promotion’s first numbered event on Paramount+ landed at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the main event turned into one of the wildest lightweight fights in recent memory. Justin Gaethje outlasted Paddy Pimblett over five rounds to claim the interim title, while the rest of the card produced sharp finishes, a few upsets, and one very big late change.
This guide pulls everything about the event into one place: the final results, the story of each fight, the new bonus structure, the streaming numbers, and what the major names have done since. If you missed the card or just want a clean recap, start here.
UFC 324 Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
| Event | UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett |
| Date | January 24, 2026 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Main event | Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett (interim lightweight title) |
| Result | Unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) |
| Co-main event | Sean O’Malley def. Song Yadong |
| Where it aired | Paramount+ (no pay-per-view) |
| Fight of the Night | Gaethje vs. Pimblett |
Why UFC 324 Was a Landmark Event for the UFC
Most numbered cards arrive with a familiar script. This one came with a brand new platform. UFC 324 was the first numbered event under the promotion’s seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights agreement with Paramount, which moved the company away from ESPN and ended the traditional pay-per-view model for U.S. viewers.
For years, fans paid a base subscription and then an extra fee, often in the $70 to $80 range, to watch a numbered card. Starting with UFC 324, every fight from the early prelims to the main event sat behind a single Paramount+ subscription. That change reshaped how fans, fighters, and sponsors thought about the product, and the first card carried enormous pressure to prove the model could work.
The promotion also planned a heavy schedule on the platform, with 13 numbered events and roughly 30 Fight Nights each year, plus access to the UFC’s archive. A strong debut mattered, and UFC 324 gave Paramount exactly the kind of headline fight it needed.
The Card That Almost Looked Different
The original lineup was built around two championship-level headliners, including a women’s bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes. That bout fell apart days before the event when Harrison withdrew to undergo neck surgery for multiple herniated discs.
Losing the only unified title fight stung, and it pushed Sean O’Malley against Song Yadong into the co-main event slot. Even so, the remaining card held together well, and the main event more than made up for the lost bout.
UFC 324 Main Event: Gaethje vs Pimblett Breakdown
The interim lightweight title was on the line, and both men had good reasons to treat this as a career-defining night. Gaethje, a former interim champion who had come up short twice in undisputed title bids against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, wanted another shot at a full belt. Pimblett, the English fan favorite, was chasing his first UFC championship.
How the Fight Played Out
Gaethje came out looking like the version of himself that fans fell in love with years ago. He pressed forward, threw heavy shots, and dropped Pimblett in the opening round. Pimblett scrambled back up, only to be put down again late in the second round during a brutal sequence that looked like it might end the night. He survived to the bell.
What happened next is why this fight earned a Fight of the Year conversation. Pimblett refused to fade. He found his jab, mixed in leg kicks and body shots, and landed a head kick that briefly changed the tone of the fight. Gaethje kept landing the cleaner damage, but Pimblett kept firing back, and the middle rounds turned into a genuine two-way brawl.
By the fifth round, Pimblett was pushing the pace again and had Gaethje backing up at times. It was not enough to flip the result, but it made the final scorecards feel closer than the knockdowns suggested.
The Numbers Behind the UFC 324 Decision
The judges gave Gaethje the win by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46. The statistics told an interesting side story. According to UFC Stats, Pimblett actually landed more significant strikes overall, 156 to 144. Gaethje won because his strikes did more visible damage and because the two knockdowns swung rounds that otherwise looked competitive.
Gaethje improved to 27-5 and captured the interim lightweight title for the second time in his career. Pimblett dropped to 23-4 but earned plenty of respect for his toughness, his heart, and his willingness to trade with one of the hardest hitters in the division.
UFC 324 Full Fight Card Results
Here is the complete result sheet for the event, from the main event down to the opening prelim.
UFC 324 Main Card Results
| Division | Winner | Loser | Method |
| Lightweight (interim title) | Justin Gaethje | Paddy Pimblett | Unanimous decision |
| Bantamweight | Sean O’Malley | Song Yadong | Unanimous decision (29-28 x3) |
| Heavyweight | Waldo Cortes-Acosta | Derrick Lewis | TKO, Round 2 (3:14) |
| Women’s flyweight | Natalia Silva | Rose Namajunas | Unanimous decision (29-28 x3) |
| Featherweight | Jean Silva | Arnold Allen | Unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) |
UFC 324 Preliminary Card Results
| Division | Winner | Loser | Method |
| Bantamweight | Umar Nurmagomedov | Deiveson Figueiredo | Unanimous decision (30-27 x3) |
| Middleweight | Ateba Gautier | Andrey Pulyaev | Unanimous decision |
| Light heavyweight | Nikita Krylov | Modestas Bukauskas | KO, Round 3 (4:57) |
| Flyweight | Alex Perez | Charles Johnson | TKO, Round 1 (3:16) |
| Heavyweight | Josh Hokit | Denzel Freeman | TKO (retirement), Round 1 (4:59) |
| Welterweight | Ty Miller | Adam Fugitt | TKO, Round 1 (4:59) |
Co-Main Event: O’Malley Ends His Skid
Sean O’Malley stepped into the co-main slot after the Harrison-Nunes cancellation and needed a win badly. He had dropped his previous two fights, and a third straight loss would have put his place among the bantamweight elite in real doubt.
The fight with Song Yadong was tight and technical. O’Malley did enough to take all three scorecards, 29-28 across the board, and snap the losing streak. It was not a highlight-reel finish, but it was the type of composed performance that kept his name in the contender conversation.
Cortes-Acosta Stops Derrick Lewis
The heavyweight clash delivered the cleanest finish of the main card. Waldo Cortes-Acosta picked Derrick Lewis apart early in the second round and then pounced, landing punches until the referee stepped in at 3:14. It was his third straight win and the first loss for Lewis since 2023, a result that firmly boosted Cortes-Acosta’s standing in the heavyweight rankings.
Natalia Silva and Jean Silva Take Decisions
Natalia Silva worked through a slow start against former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas to take a unanimous decision, picking up the 20th victory of her professional career. Namajunas had moments, including a takedown that gave her control for stretches of the second round, but Silva’s output over three rounds was enough.
Opening the main card, Brazilian featherweight Jean Silva beat Arnold Allen by unanimous decision in a striking-heavy contest. Allen was returning after roughly 18 months away, and Silva landed 74 significant strikes, the most of his UFC career. It was a statement win against a ranked, well-regarded opponent.
Prelim Highlights: Finishes Everywhere
The undercard may have been the most entertaining part of UFC 324 for fans who tuned in early. Four of the six prelims ended inside the distance, and two of them came with almost no time left on the clock. Ty Miller stopped Adam Fugitt with just one second remaining in the first round, Josh Hokit finished Denzel Freeman at 4:59 of round one, and Nikita Krylov landed a late knockout on Modestas Bukauskas with only three seconds left in round three.
Umar Nurmagomedov also took a clear, dominant decision over Deiveson Figueiredo, who missed weight for the fight. Ateba Gautier added a decision win over Andrey Pulyaev in the middleweight bout.
UFC 324 Bonuses and the New Fighter Pay Structure
UFC 324 was the first card to use a revised bonus system, and it drew plenty of attention before a single punch was thrown. Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards, which had been stuck at $50,000 for years, doubled to $100,000. UFC president Dana White said the standard bonus pool would rise from $200,000 to at least $400,000 per event.
The promotion also introduced a $25,000 bonus for fighters who win by knockout or submission without earning one of the main awards. Fighters who receive the $100,000 bonuses do not qualify for the extra finish bonus, so there is no double dipping.
Who Got Paid at UFC 324
Gaethje and Pimblett each earned $100,000 for Fight of the Night. Ty Miller and Josh Hokit took home Performance of the Night honors for their prelim finishes. That made them the first beneficiaries of the new structure, and it gave the change a very public debut.
The bonus news also fed an ongoing debate about fighter pay. Gaethje, who holds a record number of post-fight bonuses, had publicly questioned whether the Paramount deal would translate into real raises for athletes. The bonus increase was widely welcomed, though fans and analysts kept asking how the promotion would replace the pay-per-view points that used to boost top earners.
UFC 324 Viewership and How to Watch on Paramount+
The streaming gamble paid off quickly. According to Paramount data, UFC 324 averaged 4.96 million viewers during the main card and peaked at 5.93 million. The company also reported that it reached 7.18 million households. It is worth noting that those figures came from digital analytics firms rather than Nielsen, so they are not directly comparable to traditional TV ratings.
Even with that caveat, the numbers were far larger than what most numbered cards drew when they sat behind ESPN+ and a separate pay-per-view purchase. Paramount described the event as the biggest exclusive live event in the platform’s history.
How to Watch UFC 324 Now
If you missed the live broadcast, UFC 324 is available on demand through Paramount+. The early prelims, prelims, and main card all stream under the same subscription, and no extra purchase is required. At the time of the launch, Paramount+ plans started at $8.99 per month, though pricing can change, so check the platform for current rates. You do not need cable to watch.
For fans outside the United States, availability depends on regional broadcast partners, so local listings are the best place to confirm where the UFC is streaming in your country.
What Happened After UFC 324
The fallout from this card has shaped the lightweight division all year. Gaethje’s win set up a unification bout with undisputed champion Ilia Topuria, and the two met at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Gaethje, then 37, delivered a stunning performance and captured the lightweight championship, turning an interim title win at UFC 324 into a full world title.
Pimblett did not stay down for long. He returned at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, and submitted Benoit Saint Denis with a D’Arce choke in just 52 seconds of the first round, according to his UFC profile. That quick finish helped repair the loss and kept him in the title picture. Analysts, including Michael Bisping, have continued to debate who the promotion will book next for both men.
Other names from the card also moved forward. Jean Silva’s win over Arnold Allen added momentum to his featherweight run, Cortes-Acosta became a bigger factor in the heavyweight race, and O’Malley’s decision win kept him relevant at bantamweight.
The Next Numbered Event
Fans did not have long to wait for more action. UFC 325 followed the very next weekend in Sydney, Australia, headlined by a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. The quick turnaround showed how aggressively the promotion planned to use its new schedule and platform.
The Legacy of UFC 324: Final Verdict
Looking back months later, UFC 324 earned its place as one of the most important cards of 2026. It launched the Paramount era with a record-setting audience, introduced a bigger bonus structure, produced a Fight of the Year contender, and set the stage for Gaethje’s rise to undisputed champion.
The night also proved that a card can survive losing its biggest women’s title fight when the matchmaking depth is strong. Between Cortes-Acosta’s finish, O’Malley’s bounce-back win, and a prelim card full of late stoppages, UFC 324 gave fans plenty to talk about long after the final bell.
