UFC 324: ‘Gaethje vs. Pimblett’ Fight Card and Rumors

The Octagon will take center stage at T-Mobile Arena on January 24th, with two title bouts set to headline the fight card.

In the main event, the promotion‘s interim lightweight title will be up for grabs as Paddy Pimblett takes on Justin Gaethje. An interim belt was introduced after reigning champion Ilia Topuria revealed he needed extended time off to deal with some personal issues.

Pimblett (23-3 MMA) will enter his first career UFC title bout riding a nine-fight winning streak, with his two most recent triumphs resulting in stoppage victories over Michael Chandler and King Green. ‘The Baddy’ hasn’t tasted defeat since September of 2018, where he dropped a decision to Soren Bak under the Cage Warriors banner.

Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 313 in March of this year, where he picked up a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Fiziev. Prior to that win, ‘The Highlight’ was coming off a brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April of 2024 (see that here).

UFC 324 will be co-headlined by a highly anticipated women’s bantamweight title fight featuring current champion Kayla Harrison taking on former division queen Amanda Nunes.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Harrison (19-1 MMA) will be looking to earn her first career UFC title defense when she collides with ‘The Lioness’. The former Olympic gold medalist was most recently seen in action at June’s UFC 317 event in New Jersey, where she captured the promotion‘s 135lbs title with a submission victory over Julianna Pena.

Meanwhile, Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA) will be competing for the first time since UFC 289 in June of 2023, where she successfully defended the bantamweight title with a decision win over Irene Aldana. ‘The Lioness’ vacated the belt and announced she would be stepping away from the sport following that victory.

Also set to be featured on January’s UFC 324 main card lineup is a men’s bantamweight bout between Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong.

O’Malley (18-3 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘Suga’ most recently competed at June’s UFC 317 event, where he fell short in his attempt to regain the title from rival Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley most recent win came back at UFC 299 in March of 2024, where he earned a decision victory over Marlon Vera to successfully defend the promotion‘s 135lbs title.

Meanwhile, Song Yadong (22-8-1 MMA) most recently competed at February’s UFC event in Seattle, where he earned a technical decision victory over former title holder Henry Cejudo. Prior to that triumph, ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ was coming off a decision loss to Petr Yan.

Get the current UFC 324 fight card and lineup below, the event takes place on January 24th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Main Event:

155lbs: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett (interim title fight)

Co-Main Event:

135lbs: Amanda Nunes vs. Kalya Harrison (women’s bantamweight title fight)

Other bouts announced for UFC 324:

135lbs: Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong

265lbs: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis

145lbs: Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva

125lbs: Rose Namajunas vs. Alexa Grasso

135lbs: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

185lbs: Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev

205lbs: Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas

What other fights would you like to see added to January’s UFC 324 event?