UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett results, analysis

UFC 324 took place Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, officially kicking off the Paramount+ era. In the main event, Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to capture the interim lightweight title. theScore's Nick Baldwin provided results and analysis throughout the card.

📌 Jump to: Gaethje's UD | O'Malley's UD | Cortes-Acosta's TKO | Natalia Silva's UD | Jean Silva's UD | Prelims | Early prelims

Gaethje captures interim belt

Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) to capture the interim lightweight championship for a second time. The combatants traded massive shots for all five rounds, finishing the first card of 2026 with what could end up being the fight of the year.

For more, tap here.

Who ya got, Gaethje or Pimblett? 🍿

Pimblett is a -245 favorite on theScore Bet, with Gaethje sitting at +210. Who are you picking to win the main event? Let us know in the comments.

'Suga' back in win column

Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley defeated Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the co-main event, snapping a two-fight losing streak. O'Malley rebounded from a submission defeat to Merab Dvalishvili in a title fight last June.

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Cortes-Acosta destroys Lewis

Waldo Cortes-Acosta demolished Derrick Lewis in their heavyweight bout, finishing him with ground-and-pound after dropping him with a jab. The TKO stoppage came at the 3:14 mark of the second round.

Cortes-Acosta, the No. 5-ranked heavyweight, said after the win he wants to fight Curtis Blaydes next.

The 34-year-old is now riding a three-fight winning streak and is 8-1 in his last nine bouts.

Natalia Silva ekes out decision win

Women's flyweight contender Natalia Silva picked up the biggest win of her career, defeating former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Silva outworked Namajunas in the first and third rounds to extend her winning streak to 14. She had a 51-26 edge in significant strikes and completed one of two takedowns.

The Brazilian, ranked No. 2 in the division, has beaten former UFC champions in three straight fights and could be next in line for a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.

Jean Silva wins a slugfest

Featherweight contender Jean Silva got back on track with a unanimous decision win over Arnold Allen in the main-card opener. The judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.

Allen got off to a great start in Round 1, but Silva landed the more damaging blows throughout the rest of the fight. Silva outstruck Allen in the last two rounds and 78-60 overall.

The 29-year-old Brazilian is back in the win column after suffering a knockout loss to Diego Lopes at Noche UFC last September. Silva improved to 6-1 in the Octagon and is 14-1 in his last 15 outings.

Is this parlay worth it? 🤔

👉 Check out all of the betting markets available for UFC 324 on theScore Bet here

A new era is here 🤩

Cruz gets HOF call 🏅

Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer as part of the 2026 class, the promotion announced Saturday night. Cruz retired from mixed martial arts last February.

For more, tap here.

Nurmagomedov cruises past Figueiredo

Bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov made easy work of former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the featured prelim, winning via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Nurmagomedov outstruck Figueiredo on the feet and amassed nearly five minutes of control time on the ground. Nurmagomedov's only career loss came against former champion Dvalishvili.

Gautier pushed to decision

Ateba Gautier knocked down Andrey Pulyaev three times but couldn't put the Russian away, going the distance for his first decision victory in the UFC (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

Gautier (10-1) stepped into the cage as a major betting favorite after knocking out his first three Octagon opponents inside one round. The powerful middleweight decked Pulyaev early, but Pulyaev survived and responded with moderate damage as the fight progressed.

Another buzzer-beater KO

Nikita Krylov dug deep and scored a knockout in the final seconds of his light heavyweight bout against Modestas Bukauskas. The finish came at the 4:57 mark of the third round. Krylov floored Bukauskas with an overhand right and then landed two punches on the ground to seal the deal.

Krylov, the No. 13-ranked light heavyweight, snapped a two-fight skid, which consisted of knockout losses to Dominick Reyes and Bogdan Guskov. This was the 33-year-old Ukrainian's first victory since he submitted Ryan Spann in March 2023.

Perez pulls off the upset over Johnson

Three fights in and we've yet to see a second round in 2026.

Former flyweight title challenger Alex Perez picked up a much-needed win over Charles Johnson, finishing him with strikes at the 3:16 mark of the first round.

Perez, 33, snapped a two-fight losing streak and earned his first victory since April 2024. The devastating performance made it clear he's still one of the top flyweights in the promotion.

Hokit a heavyweight to watch?

Undefeated heavyweight Josh Hokit kept the ball rolling in his second Octagon appearance, scoring a TKO over Denzel Freeman at the 4:59 mark of the first round.

The 28-year-old California native improved to 2-0 in the promotion after earning a 56-second knockout in his November debut.

In his postfight interview, Hokit called out Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who fights Derrick Lewis later tonight. The rest of his speech was ... something else:

Explosive TKO kicks off UFC 324

Welterweight newcomer Ty Miller opened up the preliminary card with a bang, finishing Adam Fugitt with a buzzer-beater TKO in the first round.

Miller, 25, rocked Fugitt with several punches before finishing him in the clinch at the 4:59 mark of the round. The Dana White's Contender Series alum is now 7-0 (1 NC) as a professional.

Full UFC 324 fight card

Gaethje, a former UFC interim lightweight champion, has one more shot at winning the undisputed title. He just needs to get past Pimblett first. The winner of tonight's main event will be in line to challenge Ilia Topuria later this year. Gaethje, 37, has been a staple of the promotion's 155-pound division since 2017 and comes in with three wins in his last four Octagon appearances.

On the other side of the cage will be Pimblett, who's looking to break through as one of the sport's biggest stars. The 31-year-old Englishman is coming off a one-sided TKO win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 last April. Pimblett is a perfect 7-0 in the Octagon and riding a nine-fight winning streak overall.

In the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will attempt to snap a two-fight losing streak against Song Yadong, the division's No. 5-ranked contender.

Here's a look at the rest of the UFC 324 lineup.

Main card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)

• Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett
• Sean O'Malley vs. Song Yadong
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis
• Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas
• Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva

Preliminary card (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)

• Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
• Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
• Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
• Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson

Early preliminary card (Paramount+ at 5:30 p.m. ET)

• Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
• Adam Fugitt vs. Ty Miller

Johnson vs. Hernandez canceled

The UFC scrapped the preliminary bout between lightweights Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez only a few hours before the event began. The promotion didn't give a reason for the cancellation, though there were indications of irregular betting patterns.

New and improved bonuses

To usher in the Paramount+ era, the UFC has increased its Performance and Fight of the Night bonuses to $100K, double what they were previously, Dana White told Sports Business Journal's Adam Stern. The promotion will reward all other finishes with a new $25K bonus.

Drama at Friday weigh-ins

Cameron Smotherman made weight Friday but fainted while walking off the stage, leading to his bantamweight fight against Ricky Turcios being canceled. The 28-year-old was discharged from the hospital later in the day and said that he's doing well.

Figueiredo and Perez missed weight, but their respective bouts versus Nurmagomedov and Johnson remain on the card as catchweights.