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411’s UFC 324 Report: Gaethje Beats Pimblett 1.24.26

January 25, 2026 | Posted by Robert Winfree
UFC 324 Image Credit; UFC

MAIN CARD (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)
#4 Justin Gaethje (155 lbs.) vs. #5 Paddy Pimblett (154 lbs.) – for interim lightweight title
#3 Sean O’Malley (135.5 lbs.) vs. #5 Song Yadong (136 lbs.)
#5 Waldo Cortes-Acosta (262 lbs.) vs. #8 Derrick Lewis (263.5)
#6 Rose Namajunas (125.5 lbs.) vs. #2 Natalia Silva (126 lbs.)
#6 Arnold Allen (145.5 lbs.) vs. #10 Jean Silva (146 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET)
#6 Deiveson Figueiredo (138.5 lbs.)* vs. #2 Umar Nurmagomedov (136 lbs.)
Ateba Gautier (186 lbs.) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (186 lbs.)
Modestas Bukauskas (204 lbs.) vs. #13 Nikita Krylov (205.5 lbs.)
#13 Charles Johnson (126 lbs.) vs. #11 Alex Perez (128.5)*
Alexander Hernandez (155.5 lbs.) vs. Michael Johnson (156 lbs.)
Denzel Freeman (257.5 lbs.) vs. Josh Hokit (234.5 lbs.)
Adam Fugitt (171 lbs.) vs. Ty Miller (170 lbs.)

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC 324, I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host. Well the UFC is kicking off 2026 with this event as well as starting the Paramount era. These events might be numbered, but in the States there’s no longer PPV as these will be streaming on Paramount+. I’m not gonna lie, a slightly earlier start time and no longer having to fork over $80 a pop are definitely positives. As for the card itself, well it suffered some non-trivial setbacks. First it lost the co-main event of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison defending against Amanda Nunes, then at weigh ins we had Cameron Smotherman collapse after hitting the scale so that fight is off. We also did have two fighters, Alex Perez and Deiveson Figueriedo, miss weight. Despite the setbacks the main event is still a good fight when former interim champion Justin Gaethje takes on Paddy Pimblett for an interim title. Never mind that Arman Tsarukyan should be fighting for the belt. Song Yadong gets another shot at breaking through to the top of the bantamweight division against former champion Sean O’Malley, and Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas should probably crown the next challenger for Valentina Shevchenko. Plus Derrick Lewis is fighting, as is Jean Silva. On the prelims Umar Nurmagomedov is trying to get another crack at the bantamweight belt, rising talent Ateba Gautier will try to keep rising up the ranks, and Charles Johnson will try to remind us that he’s a potential force at flyweight.

UFC 324 comes to the world from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. We’ve got the usual crew of Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, and Joe Rogan on commentary. The regular 30 foot cage will be in play as will the newer rules. Unless something has changed of course, in which case I’ll update you all. But that’s it for the setup, let’s get to the action.

Oh let’s get a bit of news out of the way too. The UFC announced that Performance Bonuses are now 100k, which puts them about even with their 2009 bonuses if you adjust for inflation from that time period. There’s also a new bonus in play for everyone where a finish of any kind gets you 25k. Those are overall good changes, but still likely keeps the UFC sharing an overall lower percentage of revenue now that they’re getting 1.1 billion dollars a year.

So, turns out the Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson fight is off after some really suspect betting patterns emerged last night around it. Nice to see the UFC taking the right steps if they’re going to be this in bed with sports gambling like that. On the downside, it means more vamping and killing of time.

Ty Miller is undefeated coming into his UFC debut, he’s looking to remain undefeated and make a good first impression on the UFC audience. Adam Fugitt has gone 2-3 in the UFC and most recently lost in July of last year, now he’s trying to avoid his first losing streak. Miller is a pretty notable favorite at -560 to Fugitt’s +420.

Welterweight Bout: Adam Fugitt (10-5, 171 lbs.) vs. Ty Miller (6-0 1 NC, 170 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Miller is an inch taller with half an inch of reach advantage, he’s also 12 years younger. Southpaw for Fugitt. Miller comes out jabbing then lands a right hand. Miller checks an inside leg kick. One two from Miller. Body kick from Fugitt. Another Fugitt body kick partially lands. Miller lands a right hand. Fugitt does land another body kick. A couple of jabs from Miller land then Fugitt lands a couple of uppercuts in close. Solid right hand from Miller. Fugitt ties up and lands a couple of knees to the body before Miller pulls free. Right hand from Miller again. Hard counter right from Miller then he misses a head kick. Fugitt with another body kick then a knee in close. Miller lands another right hand. That right hand from Miller is landing almost at will now. Combination from Miller, in boxing range he’s just battering Fugitt. Fugitt lands a body kick. They trade rights. Fugitt tries a spinning back elbow, it partially lands then he fires an uppercut and Miller is cut up in the hair likely from the elbow. A few jabs from Miller then he drops Fugitt with a right hand. Miller gets on top and lands elbows but Fugitt regains his feet and backs away. Another couple of right from Miller land, they trade in close and Miller badly hurts Fugitt with a knee and that prompts the stoppage just before the round ends.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ty Miller via TKO, knee and punches, at 4:59 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Miller for his work, and is happy to be here for the first fight of 2026. Mic time for Miller after that, he talks about going back to his hands when things got hairy then thanks everyone who helped him get to this point. Hm, short interview there I wonder if they’re working to keep them shorter overall as a production note.

Finish can be seen here.

Josh Hokit is undefeated including his UFC debut back in November, given the generally poor state of heavyweight he’s looking to make a quick ascent with another quick finish. Denzel Freeman scored a win in his UFC debut back in November as well, he’s trying to have a more enjoyable fight as that one was pretty dull as well as prove that he’s a heavyweight prospect. It’s not surprising to see Hokit as the -260 favorite but that +215 comeback on Freeman might be a decent little value bet.

Heavyweight Bout: Denzel Freeman (7-1, 257.5 lbs.) vs. Josh Hokit (7-0, 234.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while Freeman is three and a half inches taller. Quick takedown from Hokit, it hits the fence but he’s able to finish the double leg. Hokit moves to the ride position and lands a few short punches. Freeman tries to stand, he’s able to get up but Hokit is still on his back. They get chest to chest then Freeman pushes free. Jab from Hokit then a body kick. A couple rights from Hokit land, he’s trying to keep a pretty high pace for heavyweights. Body shot from Hokit then uppercuts in close that hurt Freeman. Hokit back to the ride position and lands punches. A few spanks from Hokit for comedic purposes then Freeman stands. Hokit with punches and Freeman drops then Freeman gets back up. Again Hokit pushes Freeman over and lands punches on the mat, Freeman technically hasn’t landed a significant strike yet. Freeman stands, Hokit with knees to the body and head then an elbow. Freeman looks dead, Hokit with a punch then kick and Freeman just stands around, Hokit flips him off but the way Freeman looks is enough for the ref to step in. Slightly odd stoppage there.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Josh Hokit via TKO, punches, at 4:59 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Hokit for his work. Mic time for Hokit, he does his bad professional wrestling rhyme scheme again then calls out deadbeat dad Waldo Cortes-Acosta who absolutely sucks and that’s the bottom line.

Alex Perez fought for the flyweight title back in 2020 in a losing effort, now he’s riding a two fight losing streak and really needs a win. In addition to that losing streak he missed weight here and a loss might end his time with the UFC. Charles Johnson has gone 5-1 in his last six fights, only dropping a decision to Ramazan Temirov last year but most recently knocking out Lone’er Kavanagh. Johnson is looking to build another winning streak and get back to climbing the flyweight ranks. Johnson is the -170 favorite to Perez’s +140.

Flyweight Bout: #13 Charles Johnson (18-7, 126 lbs.) vs. #11 Alex Perez (25-10, 128.5)*

ROUND ONE: Johnson is three inches taller with four and a half inches of reach advantage, plus Perez missed weight. They touch gloves to get things going, southpaw for Johnson to start but he will switch if he feels like it. Right hand from Johnson then a bit of a high kick. Both men probe with kicks. Bit of a left hand from Perez. Perez keeps looking to blitz but Johnson is blocking so far and looking to angle then counter. Front kick from Johnson. Perez floors Johnson with a left hook, he looks to finish but Johnson regains his feet and gets back to moving. Bit of a knee from Perez. Johnson lands a right hand but Perez is still pressuring him. Perez has a few punches blocked. They both fire uppercuts in a brief clinch. Perez with more punches when he gets Johnson to the fence, Johnson tries a takedown but Perez defends. A couple more punches from Perez, Johnson then lands a knee and a body kick. Left hook from Perez drops Johnson again and this time the ref steps in.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Alex Perez via TKO, punches, at 3:16 of Round 1

The First Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Perez for his work. Mic time for Perez after that, he gives glory to God then admits his job was likely on the line as he was on a losing streak, missed weight, and was on the last fight of his contract. He thanks Johnson for taking the fight and again thanks God. He talks us through the finish and puts over his coaches and support network.

Nikita Krylov is on a two fight losing streak with his last win coming in March of 2023, he really needs to get back on the winning side of things here if he wants to retain a ranking. Modestas Bukauskas is on a four fight winning streak and really seems to finally be finding his footing, a win here would see him crack the top 15 rankings and set him up for a high profile year. Bukauskas is the favorite at -135 against Krylov’s +115.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Modestas Bukauskas (19-6, 204 lbs.) vs. #13 Nikita Krylov (30-11, 205.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while Krylov has an inch and a half of reach advantage. Southpaw for Bukauskas. Both men circle and probe with a few kicks, nothing serious yet though. Bit of a left hand from Bukauskas. Krylov pushes into a clinch on the fence. Bukauskas avoids a few trips but he’s struggling to get off the fence. Eventually Krylov gets a takedown, Bukauskas quickly wall walks but is still in the clinch. A few short punches from Kyrlov to the body and head, he then lands a right hand and fires a head kick as Bukauskas finally gets free. Bukauskas has gone orthodox now. Right hand from Bukauskas but Krylov lands a solid inside leg kick that off balances him for a second. Bukauskas avoids a wild few strikes. Both men miss punches. Krylov lands a right hand that gets Bukauskas to back off. They just stare away the final seconds of the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Krylov but could go either way

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves again, Bukauskas is happy switching his stance around now. Bit of a right hand from Bukauskas. Bit of a left hand from Bukauskas but neither man can follow up, and the punching form is falling apart for both guys. Krylov gets a clinch and pushes things to the fence. Knee from Krylov. They jockey for position along the fence, Krylov is peppering in some knees while Bukauskas doesn’t seem to have much clinch offense yet. A couple more knees land for Krylov before Bukauskas spins free. Glancing high kick from Krylov. There’s some visible swelling under the left eye of Bukauskas. Right hand from Krylov to counter a one two from Bukauskas. A few front kicks land for Krylov then they trade rights in close. They both miss kicks to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Krylov, 20-18 Krylov overall

ROUND THREE: Krylov gets back to kicking then lands a left hook. Bukauskas looks to pressure forward and lands a glancing left hand. Front kick from Krylov. Bit of a right from Krylov, Bukauskas responds by backing away and swatting him with a left hook. Body kick from Krylov. A few calf kicks go back and forth. Bit of a high kick from Krylov. Right hand from Krylov. Bukauskas backs up but does land a punch. Krylov keeps showing front kicks and they’re disrupting Bukauskas a bit. They trade rights in close. Krylov avoids a few punches then lands a right to the body. Jab from Krylov. Bukauskas lands a right hand. Bukauskas misses an ugly wheel kick. Both men land rights. Krylov drops Bukauskas with a right hand, he looks to follow up on the mat and gets the last second stoppage.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Nikita Krylov via KO, punches, at 4:57 of Round 3

The Final Round Finish Club thanks Mr. Krylov for his work and is very happy to also be able to show up for the first UFC event of the year. Mic time for Krylov and the translator, he says it’s been hard to sit out and then suffer losses and knows this wasn’t a super exciting fight but he needed the win. To close he talks about working on his skills then tries to put over the division, then says his dream opponent right now is a man he lost to before in Jan Blachowicz. Not the worst call out there all things considered.

Ateba Gautier is on an eight fight winning streak including three UFC wins all of which have been first round stoppages. Gautier is looking to have a real breakout year and start moving from prospect towards contender status. Andrey Pulyaev has gone 1-1 in the UFC but he is coming off of a win and now looks to build his first UFC winning streak. It’s not surprising to see Gautier as one of the biggest favorites on the card at -1000 against Pulyaev’s +600.

Middleweight Bout: Ateba Gautier (9-1, 186 lbs.) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (10-3, 186 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: These two are the same height while Gautier has two and a half inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves, Pulyaev also fighting southpaw. Gautier presses forward and misses a right hand. Right hand from Gautier drops Pulyaev, Pulyaev bounces up but Gautier is still after him in space. Body kick from Pulyaev, Gautier then lands a left hand. Bit of a right from Gautier. Pulyaev lands a solid body kick. Gautier’s lack of cage cutting is a bit of a problem. Pulyaev lands a left hand. Bit of a high kick then right hand from Gautier. Pulyaev starts jabbing now, he’s able to land but it’s mostly his movement that’s saving him. Gautier misses a couple of punches. Glancing left hook from Gautier, he’s trying to parry the kicks then counter. Pulyaev lands a bit of a left hand, he’s got that pretty dialed in at this point. Jab from Pulyaev. Bit of a left hand from Gautier. A couple body kicks from Pulyaev. They circle the final seconds away.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gautier but Pulyaev has the momentum overall

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves again. Pulyaev fires a high kick. Gautier misses a few punches. Pulyaev with a body kick. Left hand from Pulyaev. Another body kick from Pulyaev. Gautier with a bit of a right hand but Pulyaev keeps taking an angle when that’s coming in which takes a ton of the steam off the blow. Another body kick from Pulyaev. Glancing right hand from Gautier. Pulyaev with a left hand. Body kicks go back and forth. Front kick then left hand from Pulyaev, he’s just methodically sniping at this point. Glancing head kick from Pulyaev then a left hand behind it. They trade power hand punches, that goes poorly for Pulyaev. Another right from Gautier hurts Pulyaev, Gautier with a flurry against the fence but Pulyaev endures and fires back to get Gautier to reset. Left hand from Pulyaev. Pulyaev lands a body kick. Another left from Pulyaev mostly lands. Gautier avoids a high kick. Both men attack the lead leg then Pulyaev throws a partially successful head kick. Pulyaev misses a body kick to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pulyaev but Gautier might have stolen it, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: They touch gloves for the final round. Head kick from Pulyaev mostly lands then a left hand. Gautier with a right hand but his high kick is blocked. Jab from Pulyaev. Bit of a right from Gautier. Pulyaev with a body kick then avoids some hooks. Left hand from Pulyaev then an inside leg kick. Gautier blocks a high kick. Bit of a left from Pulyaev, Gautier fires a counter high kick that partially lands. One two from Pulyaev. Body kick from Pulyaev then Gautier counters with a left hand. Bit of a left hand from Pulyaev then a body kick. Front kick from Gautier. Left hand then a body kick from Pulyaev. Gautier avoids a head kick and that’ll close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pulyaev, 29-28 Pulyaev overall but could go 29-28 either way

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ateba Gautier via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

That 30-27 was mailed in a week ago, Gautier in no way won the third round. No interview for the winner.

Umar Nurmagomedov lost a title fight last year, a close fight to be sure though, but he did rebound at the end of last year with win over Mario Bautista. Now Nurmagomedov is trying to get another shot at the title if he can get another win here. Deiveson Figueiredo is coming off of a win that broke a two fight losing streak, then he went and missed weight for this fight. Figueiredo really needs a win because another loss on top of the weight miss and with his age as a factor would almost certainly end any title aspirations he might still harbor. Nurmagomedov is the biggest favorite on the card at -1400 while that +800 payout on Figueiredo might tempt the degenerate gamblers out there.

Bantamweight Bout: #6 Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1, 138.5 lbs.)* vs. #2 Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1, 136 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Nurmagomedov is three inches taller with an inch of reach advantage, he’s also 8 years younger and of course Figueiredo missed weight. A lot of stance switching from Figueiredo early as they move around. Nurmagomedov lands a leg kick, he’s doing a bit of stance switching as well. Front kick from Nurmagomedov. A lot of circling from Figueiredo, they both hit the body then clinch briefly with Nurmagomedov landing a left hook as they break. Another front kick from Nurmagomedov then a body kick behind it. Single leg from Nurmagomedov, they wrestle around on the fence then break without anything really coming of it. They tie up and Nurmagomedov hits a body lock takedown into half guard. Some short punches from Nurmagomedov but Figueiredo is able to hip escape to full guard. Short hammer fists from Nurmagomedov and he’ll end the round on top.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Nurmagomedov

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves for the second round. Bit of an outside crescent kick from Nurmagomedov, or an inverted roundhouse if you prefer. Figueiredo avoids a few kicks but his offense has been pretty muted. Bit of a head kick from Nurmagomedov then a left to the body. Nurmagomedov slips on a head kick, Figueiredo gets on top but Nurmagomedov wrestles up immediately and they reset at distance. Front kick from Nurmagomedov. Inside leg kick from Nurmagomedov then Figueiredo lands a body kick. Nurmagomedov lands another front kick. Bit of a head kick from Nurmagomedov, his lead leg kicks are still quick and dangerous. Bit of a knee from Nurmagomedov in close after Figueiredo defended a takedown. Body kick from Nurmagomedov. Short right from Nurmagomedov in close. Double jab then a left hand from Nurmagomedov into a clinch on the fence. Figueiredo is able to spin free then they trade punches in close. Figueiredo finally woke up it seems and lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov lands a combination then an elbow. They trade again in close as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Nurmagomedov, 20-18 Nurmagomedov overall

ROUND THREE: Nurmagomedov gets back to pressuring forward and kicking. Body kick from Nurmagomedov. Glancing head kick from Nurmagomedov, Figueiredo keeps circling but isn’t throwing yet. The ref warns Figueiredo about not engaging. Bit of a head kick from Nurmagomedov then he hits a single leg into full guard. A few punches land for Nurmagomedov as he looks to set up a pressure pass. Elbows from Nurmagomedov now, nothing serious yet but he’s staying fairly active. Nurmagomedov passes to half guard and keeps up his offense. Now Nurmagomedov moves to side control, Figueiredo is able to scramble to butterfly guard though. Nurmagomedov moves back to half guard and keeps throwing body to head punches, his ground and pound is consistent but not especially damaging thus far. Figueiredo hip escapes but can’t keep guard and Nurmagomedov keeps landing strikes from top position. Figueiredo is able to scramble free but then misses a wild right hand as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Nurmagomedov, 30-27 Nurmagomedov overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Nurmagomedov does not get an interview, yeah they’re gonna try really hard to pass him over for a title shot.

They announce the first 2026 Hall of Fame inductee, former two time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Easy call there, Cruz is one of my favorite fighters ever and did a tremendous amount to advance the technical level of the sport. That also transitions us from prelims to main card. Despite it being numbered remember it’s all still on Paramount+ for your viewing pleasure.

Arnold Allen has gone 11-2 in the UFC but has struggled to remain consistent with his fights, Allen missed all of 2025 for example. He is coming off of a win from July of 2024 but part of his treading water is that he struggles to get consistent finishes or fight all that regularly, fortunately a win here could be the chance to start a serious push through the very competitive division. Jean Silva just had a 13 fight winning streak broken, now he’s trying to avoid his first losing streak and remind everyone that he’s still a very dangerous fighter at featherweight. With the layoff it’s not surprising that Silva is the favorite at -240 but that +200 comeback on Allen might tempt some bettors.

Featherweight Bout: #6 Arnold Allen (20-3, 145.5 lbs.) vs. #10 Jean Silva (146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Allen has an inch of height and reach advantage. Both men fighting southpaw. Allen looks for some calf kicks early as they circle. Bit of a right to the body from Silva. Allen lands another calf kick. Silva starts playing with stance switches now and goes orthodox. Right to the body from Silva. Left hand from Allen. Another left from Allen. Bit of a high kick from Silva. Allen lands a left to the body. Bit of an uppercut from Silva. Allen starts to keep his jab working as he stays mobile and active. Calf kick from Allen. Bit of a one two from Silva. Allen’s just staying busier than Silva and he’s the more accurate fighter thus far. Silva misses a couple of uppercuts but then fires a head kick. Right to the body then a left hand from Silva. Silva is starting to land a bit more now. Allen lands a left hand. Back elbow from Silva then a high kick and another elbow as part of a flurry to close out the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Silva as I think he stole it but could go either way

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves again. Allen gets back to bouncing and circling. Silva lands a couple of inside calf kicks. Bit of a right hand from Silva. Allen blocks a high kick. Left hand from Allen. Inside calf kick from Silva. A couple rights land for Silva then he gets a takedown, and punches Allen as Allen stands free. Both men land punches in close then they tie up and Silva lands an elbow as they break. Right to the body from Silva. Allen lands a left hand. Glancing uppercut from Silva. Right to the body from Silva, then one upstairs as well. Allen lands a left hand then tries a jumping knee that’s blocked. One two from Silva seems to bother Allen for a second. Silva lands another right hand. They tie up and Allen lands a high knee in the clinch. Back elbow from Silva as they break then a right hand. Allen lands a jab but eats a counter left. Silva shows a couple of inside calf kicks, Allen doesn’t like those at this point. Allen misses a couple of kicks. Body jab from Silva. Allen blocks a head kick then lands a jab. Spinning elbow from Silva then a couple of follow up punches. Silva blocks a high kick. They tie up and Silva lands a knee as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Silva, 20-18 Silva overall but could be 19-19

ROUND THREE: Silva with a quick combination of punches then a head kick. Allen avoids a clinch. Both men probe with low kicks then Silva has a partially successful head kick. Left hand from Allen. Right to the body then a left hand from Silva. Bit of a right hook from Silva. Allen misses a head kick but gets the back in a clinch and they hit the fence. Silva gets chest to chest and lands an elbow before they break. Bit of a chopping elbow from Silva. Both men land punches in close then Silva avoids a high kick. Clinch from Silva and he lands an elbow as he gets Allen to the fence. Another elbow from Silva. Outside trip from Silva, Allen bounces up but now Silva is on his back and hits a mat return then a knee as Allen scrambles up and free. Uppercut from Silva then a glancing head kick. A couple of body shots from Silva. Another body blow from Silva. Elbow from Allen now. Silva tries to engage in a brawl, Allen wont quite oblige that but is still willing to throw. Both men land punches. Left hook from Silva then a head kick behind it. Another head kick from Silva then he trips Allen down and jumps off of his back for fun. Body kick from Silva then he avoids a high kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Silva, 30-27 Silva overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Jean Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Fun little fight there. Mic time for Silva and the translator, he puts over Allen pretty hard and hugs him before Allen leaves the cage. Silva is emotional and talks about how hard he worked for this fight and he was ready for a three round war which he got despite really wanting the knockout. He again puts over Allen and says fighting someone you admire is hard, and he notes Allen was a UFC veteran when Silva finally made it to the UFC. To close he doesn’t care who the UFC champion is he’s coming for them.

Natalia Silva is on an impressive 13 fight winning streak including seven UFC wins, now she’s on the cusp of a title shot after beating former champion Alexa Grasso her last time out. If Silva can add another former champion to her resume she’ll be the only real choice to get the next title fight. Rose Namajunas is a two time strawweight champion but he flyweight campaign has been quite mixed, she’s just 2-2 in the division and most recently beat Miranda Maverick. Despite that Namajunas has some name value and if she can best someone of Silva’s quality she could very well jump to the top of the contender line and try to become a two weight world champion. Silva is a rather surprisingly big favorite at -335 to +270 on Namajunas.

Women’s Flyweight Bout: #6 Rose Namajunas (14-7, 125.5 lbs.) vs. #2 Natalia Silva (19-5-1, 126 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Namajunas is an inch taller but the reach is identical. Both women do some feinting, Namajunas is probing with kicks and jabs. Silva misses a couple of kicks. Namajunas with a body jab, Silva lands a regular jab. Calf kick from Namajunas. They split jabs. Bit of a right hand from Silva. Silva avoids a front kick and lands a right hand. Calf kick from Silva, Namajunas responds with a left. Both women miss punches in close. Namajunas avoids a high kick and lands a right hand. Silva eats a calf kick and misses her counters. Calf kick from Silva then they trade punches. Silva with a side kick to the knee. Namajunas misses some kicks but lands a back fist. Silva’s starting to aim thrust kicks at the lead knee, interesting read from her. Head kick from Silva then a right hand. They tie up, Silva avoids a takedown then misses a left hand to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Namajunas but could go either way

ROUND TWO: Both women are back to showing kicks as the round begins. Jab from Namajunas, bit of a counter from Silva. They both miss left hooks. Silva with some more kicks to the lead knee. Namajunas misses some more kicks. Bit of a right from Namajunas. Silva lands a right hand. They both land punches in close. They tie up and Silva pushes Namajunas into the fence. Inside trip from Silva but Namajunas scrambles up and pushes her into the fence. Silva gets Namajunas on the fence. Some more positional jockeying but not much offense from either woman. Eventually Namajunas hits a takedown into full guard. Silva’s trying to set up an armbar but Namajunas is aware of it. A few very weak punches from Namajunas, she’s trying to mostly get her arms free. Silva tries a couple of armbars but they don’t get close and the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Namajunas, 20-18 Namajunas overall

ROUND THREE: Silva comes out a bit more aggressively and lands a left hook. Spinning back kick from Silva partially lands, then a calf kick behind it. Both women land lefts in close. Silva tries a side kick to the face but misses. They split jabs. Namajunas with a left hand. They trade lefts in close again. Body jab from Silva then a side kick to the knee. Oblique kick from Silva then a spinning back kick. Namajunas with a high front kick. Silva keeps pressing forward and lands a jab. Bit of a high kick from Silva. Namajunas misses some more kicks. Silva with a side kick to the face. Again Silva kicks the knee. Namajunas tries a single leg, Silva defends and sprawls away lands punches. They come up and Silva hits a judo throw into half guard. Namajunas is able to scramble and they regain the feet. Silva with a front kick. They feint away for a bit then Silva with a high side kick as the last blow of the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Silva, 29-28 Namajunas overall but comes down to the first

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Natalia Silva via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

I’m surprised it was unanimous but the first round legitimately could have gone either way. Mic time for Silva and the translator, the crowd is a little unhappy with the decision, she apologizes for the performance and says it was incredibly hard to get here then credits God for even getting her to this fight. She knew at a minimum she needed the third round and puts over Namajunas calling this the toughest fight of her life.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta went 4-1 last year and started mocking the eye injury of heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, all of which combined to give him a bit of a breakout year. Cortes-Acosta is trying to get his highest profile win to date and get himself closer to UFC gold. Derrick Lewis is on a two fight winning streak, his first streak of that kind since 2021, and he might not get a title shot with a win but he would almost certainly be set up for a fight at the upcoming White House card. The odds like Cortes-Acosta at -335 while that +250 payout on Lewis definitely has to tempt some bettors.

Heavyweight Bout: #5 Waldo Cortes-Acosta (16-2, 262 lbs.) vs. #8 Derrick Lewis (29-12 1 NC, 263.5)

ROUND ONE: Cortes-Acosta is an inch taller while Lewis has an inch of reach advantage, Lewis has also hit 40 years of age. Cortes-Acosta stalks forward, Lewis with a bit of a body kick. Bit of a leg kick from Cortes-Acosta. Body jab from Cortes-Acosta. Lewis tries his jumping kick, it doesn’t really land. A lot of circling, and a little bit of feinting. Lewis tries southpaw to throw a high kick, that’s blocked then he goes back to orthodox. Bit of a right from Lewis. Jab from Cortes-Acosta. Both men miss left hooks. Lewis misses a right hand and Cortes-Acosta circles away from him. Leg kick from Cortes-Acosta. Both men miss rights. Bit of a body kick from Lewis, Cortes-Acosta catches it and pulls him to the mat then stands over him to kill time. After a bit the ref makes them reset. Bit of a body kick from Lewis. Cortes-Acosta avoids some punches. Jab from Cortes-Acosta. That basically ends a lackluster round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Cortes-Acosta

ROUND TWO: Lewis shows the jab to start the round. Cortes-Acosta looks to jab as well. Jumping kick from Lewis partially lands then he misses punches. They both miss punches. Lewis is trying to force a slightly higher pace this round. Both men land rights then Cortes-Acosta lands a knee in close. Again both men swing ugly rights that don’t really land. Leg kick from Cortes-Acosta. A few jabs from Cortes-Acosta land. Lewis lands a glancing left hand. Cortes-Acosta with a few more jabs. Lewis misses a right hand. Cortes-Acosta just keeps showing the jab. Bit of a left hook from Lewis. Cortes-Acosta avoids a few punches then pokes out a right hand that off balances Lewis. Cortes-Acosta gets on top and unloads punches from the ride until the ref steps in.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Waldo Cortes-Acosta via TKO, punches, at 3:14 of Round 2

Cortes-Acosta gets an interview along with the translator, he’s still doing the eyepatch bit to insult Tom Aspinall, and says he’s not surprised how the fight went as he’s been watching Lewis for a long time. Asked about the future he wants Curtis Blaydes who’s talked a lot about him.

Sean O’Malley is a former bantamweight champion but he twice lost to Merab Dvalishvili and most recently was choked out by him. O’Malley might get a title shot with a win here, he does have a very dubious win over current champion Petr Yan, but a loss would almost certainly send him out of the division. Song Yadong has been struggling against a ceiling in the UFC, his overall record is 11-3 with 1 No Contest but those losses are to a pretty clear class of fighter in guys like Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan. Most recently Song got a weird technical decision over Henry Cejudo, but a win here would easily be the biggest of his career and might finally break him into the truly elite level. O’Malley is the favorite at -215 to Song’s +180.

Bantamweight Bout: #3 Sean O’Malley (18-3 1 NC, 135.5 lbs.) vs. #5 Song Yadong (22-8-1 1 NC, 136 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: O’Malley is three inches taller with five inches of reach advantage. They touch gloves, O’Malley fighting southpaw, and Song lands a calf kick. Both men bounce and feint as they move around, O’Malley doing a bunch of stance switching now. Bit of a left from O’Malley, Song responds with a body kick. O’Malley lands a left hand, not much on it but he’s starting to measure things. Bit of a blitz from Song. Both men try spinning kicks with mixed results. Jab from O’Malley. Inside leg kick from Song then he falls a little short with a left hook. Lunging left from Song partially lands. O’Malley with a right to the body then a front kick. Both men keep probing with leg kicks. Calf kick from Song then O’Malley avoids a left hook. Song with a double leg, O’Malley tries a guillotine but Song quickly pulls his head out and settles into full guard. A few body to head punches from Song and that’ll end the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Song but could go either way

ROUND TWO: Song comes out aggressively for this round and lands a leg kick. O’Malley avoids a right hand. Jab from O’Malley. Bit of a counter right from Song. O’Malley keeps showing the front kick but he’s a little closer now when trying it and Song is better able to counter. Body kick from Song. O’Malley with a front kick. They trade lefts, then Song catches a kick and fires another left hook. Song grabs a leg and runs O’Malley down against the fence, O’Malley stands but Song is on his back now. Knees to the leg from Song. O’Malley keeps putting one hand down, that’s not downed and Song could knee him in the head with just one hand down. Song switches to a double leg and gets O’Malley down into full guard. O’Malley is able to scramble up and they separate. Hard calf kick from Song then a left hook. Bit of a right from Song then an inside calf kick. Left hand from O’Malley. O’Malley misses a right hand. Both men miss rights then Song lands a calf kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Song, 20-18 Song overall

ROUND THREE: Both men get back to showing the lead hand. Bit of a side kick to the leg from Song then both men miss winging punches. Calf kick from Song. Inside leg kick from Song. Both men land punches in close, O’Malley doubled up his left hand there to good effect. Song with a clubbing right hand. O’Malley with an oblique kick. Song, now bleeding from the nose a bit, keeps coming forward. Jab from O’Malley. O’Malley avoids a takedown. Bit of a left hand from Song. A couple of rights from Song then O’Malley lands a right hand. Bit of a left from Song. O’Malley avoids a few punches then a spinning back fist. Right hand from O’Malley. Song tries a single leg, O’Malley defends and punches him. Knee from O’Malley. Left from O’Malley. Song blocks a right hand then has a spinning kick blocked. O’Malley slips on a high kick to close out the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 O’Malley, 29-28 Song overall but this comes down to the first round

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Mic time for O’Malley, he calls for a title shot since both he and Yan want the rematch. He says it feels good to win then says he thought Song would be faster than he was. He gets his daughter in the cage to celebrate with him.

Justin Gaethje is a former interim champion who twice fought for the lightweight title, he’s also one of the most exciting fighters this God-forsaken attraction has ever produced but that has begun to catch up with him. Gaethje needs a win here to set up a shot at the full title while a loss might send him into retirement, at a minimum it would radically hasten it. Paddy Pimblett has gone 7-0 in the UFC, he should have lost that Jared Gordon fight though, and most recently defeated an aftermarket Michael Chandler. Pimblett has had some heat with champion Ilia Topuria for a few years now and a win here would put the two on a collision course. For the main event we’ve got -240 on Pimblett to +200 for Gaethje.

Lightweight Interim Title Bout: #4 Justin Gaethje (26-5, 155 lbs.) vs. #5 Paddy Pimblett (23-3, 154 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Gaethje is an inch taller while Pimblett has three inches of reach advantage. Also that height measurement is BS, Pimblett is taller. They touch gloves, Pimblett fighting southpaw but switches pretty quickly. Bit of a right from Pimblett, he’s switching as he moves around. Gaethje checks a calf kick then lands a right hand. Body jab from Gaethje. Bit of a right from Pimblett, he’s chopping with it. Knee from Pimblett then Gaethje lands an uppercut. Gaethje with an uppercut, he’s got Pimblett on the fence and drops Pimblett with an uppercut. Punches on the mat from Gaethje, he goes to the front headlock and lands some punches to the body and head then stands free. More pressure from Gaethje, Pimblett just isn’t that good off the back foot. Bit of a knee from Pimblett. Gaethje with a one two. Pimblett is stuck backing up a bit too much. Gaethje gets to the clinch and slips to the back then lands a few knees. Pimblett gets chest to chest and they trade uppercuts then break. Counter left from Gaethje. Jab from Gaethje, Pimblett with an uppercut. Right hand from Gaethje, then Pimblett complains of an eye poke so we’ve got a time out. Replay confirms the poke and the ref pulls the doctor in to check on Pimblett. Pimblett can continue and the ref gives Gaethje a warning that the next poke will result in a point loss. Front kick from Pimblett. Bit of a high kick from Pimblett. Gaethje cracks Pimblett with a right hand, they trade in close then clinch up. Elbow from Pimblett. Gaethje with body blows before they break. More pressure from Gaethje, he avoids a spinning elbow and lands a right hand. Both men miss leg kicks as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gaethje

ROUND TWO: They touch gloves again. Gaethje gets back to forward pressure. Left hook from Gaethje. Pimblett with a calf kick. Right hand from Gaethje, he grabs a front headlock then snaps Pimblett down and lands punches from the front headlock. They wrestle up and reset. Jab from Gaethje. Gaethje avoids a one two then misses a right hand. Body kick from Pimblett but he slips and Gaethje clubs him in close. Elbow from Gaethje then they separate. Knee from Pimblett. Uppercut from Pimblett but Gaethje clubs him with a right hand then a left hook against the fence. Jabs from Gaethje as he keeps pressuring forward. They clinch again, a few knees go back and forth then they break. Another jab from Gaethje. Both men miss rights. They tie up and trade uppercuts. Right hand from Gaethje then a couple of jabs. Leg kick from Pimblett. Gaethje with an uppercut then another snap down to land rights on the mat. Body blows from Gaethje as Pimblett tries to wrestle up, eventually he’s up but Gaethje floors him with a knee. Pimblett back up but Gaethje is back in his face. Body kick from Pimblett. Jab from Gaethje then a right hand drops Pimblett. Gaethje on top landing blows from half guard now. Elbows from Gaethje then rights. Pimblett rolls to his hip, Gaethje then stands over him and punches into the guard to land elbows as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gaethje, 20-18 Gaethje overall

ROUND THREE: Pimblett is cut around the right eyebrow now and bleeding from the nose after that last flurry from Gaethje. They touch gloves again. Gaethje with a right hand. Left from Gaethje in close, he’s just walking Pimblett down at this point. Calf kick from Gaethje. Jab from Pimblett. Inside leg kick from Gaethje. Pimblett lands a jab. Jab from Gaethje. Bit of a one two from Pimblett. They split a few jabs while moving around, Pimblett is staying off the fence this round thus far. Gaethje avoids a few punches. Right hand from Gaethje but he misses the left hook. Pimblett lands a couple of jabs. They trade lefts. Front kick from Pimblett. Calf kick from Gaethje. Hard right from Gaethje. Bit of a right from Gaethje. Pimblett lands a chopping right. Left hook from Gaethje. One two from Pimblett. They both land lefts. Jab from Gaethje. Uppercut from Pimblett then Gaethje lands a calf kick. Pimblett tries a jumping knee, that hits Gaethje in the groin so we’ve got another time out. Replay confirms the knee went into the groin. Gaethje takes 45 seconds then we’re back to fighting. Leg kick from Pimblett. Gaethje lands a jab, then one to the body. High kick from Pimblett partially lands. Gaethje lands a body kick then a left hook. Calf kick from Gaethje. Hard right from Gaethje, Pimblett returns it. They split lefts again just before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pimblett, 29-28 Gaethje overall

ROUND FOUR: They touch gloves again. Gaethje with a quick body jab and pressure. Pimblett circles a bit and looks for his own jab. Pimblett jabs the body then lands a front kick. Hard right hand from Gaethje and he’s got Pimblett backing up again. Another right from Gaethje then a left hook as he defends a takedown. Gaethje has the front headlock and lands some short punches to the body and head while making Pimblett work to stand. They get up and Gaethje lands a glancing left hand. Hard left hook from Gaethje drops Pimblett but he bounces up. Gaethje pushes into a clinch and lands uppercuts before Pimblett pulls free. Jab from Gaethje. Gaethje with a right hand that staggers Pimblett, Gaethje gets the back standing and drills knees to the leg. Hard couple of punches stagger Pimblett but he regains his feet and survives. Leg kick from Gaethje. Gaethje with a flurry against the fence into a clinch. A few knees from Gaethje then a right hook, one of those knees might have gone low but wasn’t acknowledged. Uppercut from Gaethje before they break. Jab from Gaethje. Another jab from Gaethje. Pimblett falls short with some offense. Gaethje avoids a right hand. Body kick from Pimblett but his face is busted up. Gaethje with a right then he avoids a spinning attack. Another jab from Gaethje. Pimblett avoids a few punches. Both men avoid punches. Pimblett with some lead leg kicks then a left hand. Gaethje with a takedown and he lands punches from the ride, Pimblett stands and takes a glancing head kick as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gaethje, 39-37 Gaethje overall

ROUND FIVE: They hug for the final round. Both men land some jabs. Glancing right hand from Gaethje. Knee from Pimblett, they get close and brawl a bit. Hard right from Gaethje, Pimblett grabs a clinch and they hit the fence. Gaethje with body blows in the clinch then a left hand as Pimblett escapes. Hard calf kick from Gaethje. Bit of a left from Pimblett. Gaethje with a jab. Another jab from Gaethje. They tie up again and Gaethje lands uppercuts then misses a right hand as they break. Body kick from Pimblett. Pimblett looks for a takedown, they wind up on the fence though. Gaethje avoids a trip and lands a knee. Pimblett is looking for trips but Gaethje is reading those then they break and Gaethje lands a clubbing right hand then clinches again. More knees to the leg from Gaethje then they break. Jab from Gaethje and he avoids a spinning attack. Right hand from Gaethje, then another one. Pimblett tries a one two then a jumping knee, mixed results. Bit of a right from Gaethje. Pimblett with a flurry into a clinch. They trade in close then clinch again and trade body blows. Gaethje pushes into a clinch on the back of Pimblett and lands uppercuts as Pimblett gets chest to chest. A few knees go back and forth then they break with 10 seconds left. Both men start swinging wildly to the bell.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gaethje but could go either way, 49-46 Gaethje overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – and NEW UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 x2)

Well that’s an early Fight of the Year contender. Mic time for Gaethje and he jokes that Pimblett couldn’t be knocked out and knows Pimblett will get back because he was in that spot. He puts over his parents and talks about how necessary good parents are. He says his coach was upset after the first round because he was too wild but he had to get Pimblett on the back foot and work hard to take away his momentum. Asked about the general strategy he talks about moving forward and fighting in the pocket and puts over his coaches for getting him ready. To close he thanks the UFC for all the main events, then plays with the crowd.

Pimblett gets an interview as well, he really wanted the belt and didn’t need to prove his toughness but if he had to lose then Gaethje is a good loss as he loves to watch him fight. He admits 48-47 is fair and says one of the early jabs to the solar plexus bothered him, but he’s young and he’ll be back even better. To close he puts over friends who have suffered loss and then had a couple of people close to him commit suicide and he again tells men that you should talk to people if you’re in that spot, then jokingly asks for fight of the night. That’s a shoe in man.

Well on that note UFC 324 comes to a close. Some ups and downs to start the Paramount era, but a hell of a main event to cap it off. If the technical stuff gets resolved we’ll be unpacking this on the 411 Ground and Pound MMA Podcast. That show is going youtube exclusive and there’s just a few things that need to be adjusted, hopefully it’ll be back this coming week. Next week is UFC 325 headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes again, the overall card is a bit weak and that main event is quite undeserved but I’ll be here covering it. Until next time everyone I’d like to thank you for reading, stay safe out there and keep checking 411mania for all of your pop culture needs.

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