4 biggest storylines ahead of UFC 324

UFC 324, the first event of the Paramount+ era, is upon us.

In Saturday's main event, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett square off for the interim lightweight title, putting the winner in line to challenge Ilia Topuria for the undisputed belt later this year. In the co-headliner, former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley returns to action against Song Yadong.

Here are four key storylines ahead of the UFC's return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Will the UFC's Paramount+ debut meet expectations?

This event was set to be monumental as the UFC kicks off its $7.7-billion media rights deal with Paramount. Topuria was supposed to defend the lightweight championship in a blockbuster matchup against Pimblett, and Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes were scheduled to square off in a women's bantamweight title bout years in the making.

Instead, we're getting an interim title fight that doesn't even feature the No. 1 contender. The undercard is admittedly strong, with Jean Silva-Arnold Allen, Rose Namajunas-Natalia Silva, and Umar Nurmagomedov-Deiveson Figueiredo among the fights set for Saturday. But unless the card delivers, UFC 324 could feel like a lackluster start to the promotion's new era.

Gaethje gets one more chance at a UFC title

Gaethje has been a constant at the top of the UFC's lightweight division for the better part of a decade. However, one thing has eluded him: the undisputed title.

At 37 years old, and with a ton of miles on the tires, this is Gaethje's last chance to win it all and etch his name in the history books.

Gaethje hasn't shied away from retirement talk ahead of this fight, saying he expects to finish his career by 2027 and would retire on the spot if he gets knocked out again. If Gaethje beats Pimblett, he'll likely get one more opportunity to become lightweight champion, against Topuria later in 2026. If he loses, his path to the undisputed 155-pound title all but disappears - forever.

This bout against Pimblett is legitimately a now-or-never situation for one of the most exciting fighters to ever step into the Octagon.

Pimblett could leave Las Vegas a superstar

Pimblett has exuded star power ever since his UFC debut. A win Saturday could make that a reality.

At a time when the UFC lacks household names and box-office draws, Pimblett could emerge as one of the promotion's top fighters - and an early star of the Paramount+ era - if he wins the interim lightweight title. There's a reason the UFC wanted Pimblett to headline its first event on Paramount+. He's brash, talks trash, and is fun to watch. He's also really good at fighting. If he beats Gaethje and turns out to be the second- or third-best lightweight on the planet, even better.

Should Pimblett emerge victorious, a unification bout against Topuria awaits. That would be one of the biggest matchups of the year, all potentially setting the stage for Pimblett to be one of the faces of the UFC for the foreseeable future.

Will O'Malley return to full form vs. Song?

O'Malley's bantamweight title reign feels like a lifetime ago. He was on top of the world after knocking out Aljamain Sterling in 2023, with the division belonging to him. But after two straight losses to Merab Dvalishvili, his championship window had come and gone, just like that.

But as we saw with Petr Yan, who lost the bantamweight title in 2021 and just recaptured it with a stunning win over Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in December, you can never rule anything out. That includes a second O'Malley title reign.

Is it a super likely scenario? No. Bantamweight is one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. There are also some tough stylistic matchups out there for O'Malley, like Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. But this weekend's bout is his chance to prove he's still a player in the division. A fresh start, if you will. A victory over Song would be the first step toward O'Malley returning to full form.