UFC 324 start time, full fight card details | Gaethje vs. Pimblett

What’s Hot:

The Lightweight division is currently, seeing as how division champion, Ilia Topuria, is on hiatus dealing with personal issues. In the meantime, the weight class will crown an interim champion as Gaethje and Pimblett throw down to see who gets to face “El Matador” later this year (sorry, Arman). Gaethje has tasted interim gold before after he defeated Tony Ferguson in May 2020, and also won the “BMF” title by knocking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. That said, he did come up short in his previous two bids to win the undisputed strap against Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a win over “The Baddy,” he will earn his third — and perhaps final — chance to win that strap. The knockout artist has teased retirement recently, and his back-and-forth verbal squabbles with Dana White and Daniel Cormier regarding fighter pay aren’t doing him any favors when it comes to his stance with the promotion. At this point of his career, though, I doubt “The Highlight” cares what anyone thinks … his bosses included.

What’s Not:

Nikita Krylov is currently on a two-fight losing streak, while Modestas Bukauskas has won four in a row. And yet, UFC matchmakers felt this was a good fight to book. I can’t wrap my head around matchups such as these that don’t make sense based on recent track records.

Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries

One of the most anticipated fights of the night (or perhaps ever?!?!?) went up in smoke after Kayla Harrison had to withdraw from her first-ever title women’s Bantamweight title defense — which was set to co-headline the card — against Amanda Nunes due to a neck injury. Harrison underwent surgery and will now be out for at least half of 2026, leaving “Lioness” to ponder her next move.

Also, Alexa Grasso was forced out of her fight against Rose Namajunas due to an injury, and she was replaced by Natalia Silva. “Thug Rose” will attempt to build off the win she got over Miranda Maverick last summer in hopes of locking down a title fight. Silva, meanwhile, is on a 13-fight win streak and is undefeated at 7-0 inside the Octagon.

Ricky Turcios and Cameron Smotherman were set to throw down in a Bantamweight bout before it was scratched after Smotherman fainted after stepping off the scales. It was the obvious that it was the move to make seeing as how he was rushed to the hospital and was in no condition to compete.

New Blood:

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez will collide in what should be an intriguing Lightweight affair. Johnson is currently on a three-fight win streak — his first in over a decade — and has found a new groove after years of inconsistency. As for Hernandez, he has turned it around after dropping back-to-back fights by winning his last four in a row.

Ateba Gautier and Andrey Pulyaev collide in a Middleweight showdown. Gautier has a record of 9-1 and is currently on an eight-fight win streak and is one of the hottest prospects on the UFC roster at the moment. As for Pulyaev, he is 1-1 so far inside the Octagon and is looking to secure his second straight win under the UFC banner by upsetting the man they call “Mini Ngannou.”

Umar Nurmagomedov is beginning his march back toward another title fight after coming up short against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. He did bounce back with a win over against Mario Bautista, and a win over Deiveson Figueiredo — the former Flyweight champion — would be a good way back. “Daico,” meanwhile, snapped his two-fight losing streak after defeating Montel Jackson last October. If Nurmagomedov drops this one his path to reaching gold like most of his infamous team has done will take a big hit.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Alex Perez needs a win in the worst way if he wants to hang on to his spot on the roster because he has lost two straight and five of six overall. It’s a drastic downfall for the Mexican-born fighter after winning five of his first six bouts inside the Octagon. He has another tough task ahead of him in Charles Johnson, who is 5-1 in his last six fights.

Interest Level: 7.5/10

In the co-main event of the evening, Sean O’Malley will tango with Song Yadong. “Suga” is looking to erase the memory of his back-to-back beatdowns at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili. Despite being a UFC favorite — both by the promotion and fans — O’ Malley will have to prove he deserves to get back into the championship hunt, and it starts with taking out Yadong. Speaking of which, Yadong has a big opportunity to jump the line by taking out a former champion. He is 3-1 in his last four fights, so if he can get a win over O’ Malley he will definitely get bumped up a few spots and give him the right to call for a title fight.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting the promotion to come out of the gates throwing haymakers for it’s Paramount+ debut with a stacked card. I get it, the fight between Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes fell through, but even with that one you would think bigger fights with bigger names would be the recipe to come out strong. The main event is decent, but let’s not act like it’s a mega-bout. I worry that now that there are no more PPV events that have to be purchased that the cards will be a bit watered down in an attempt to spread out the talent throughout the year.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC 324 Fight Card:

UFC 324 Main Event on Paramount+:

155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for interim lightweight title

UFC 324 Main Card on Paramount+ (9 p.m. ET):

UFC 324 Late ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (7 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo
185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
155 lbs.: Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez
205 lbs.: Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas

UFC 324 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+, UFC Fight Pass (5 p.m. ET):

For much more on this weekend’s UFC 324 event click here.