UFC 324 went down last night (Sat., Jan 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, ushering a new pay-per-view (PPV)-less era for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which also signaled the beginning of its partnership with Paramount+. In the main event of the evening, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett put on a show for 25 minutes, which ultimately resulted in a unanimous decision win for “The Highlight,” giving him the interim Lightweight title in the process (highlights here). In the co-headlining
act Sean O’ Malley got back to his winning ways by defeating Song Yadong via unanimous decision (see it again here).
Biggest Winner: Justin Gaethje
It was far from a walk in the park but Gaethje did enough to win the interim strap by defeating a tough foe in Pimblett after five rounds of back-and-forth action. For 25 minutes, Gaethje came out like a bat out of hell throwing big bombs every chance he got trying to put “The Baddy” away. To his credit, Pimblett took a lot of big shots and still stayed in the pocket and delivered some of his own. But it was Gaethje who got the better of the exchanges throughout the fight, dropping “The Baddy” a few times and busting up his face all night. With the win, the power-punching Lightweight wins his second interim belt and locked down a title unification bout against division king, Ilia Topuria, later this year.
Runner Up: Sean O’ Malley
“Suga” needed a win in a bad way coming into his fight against Song Yadong because he was on a two-fight skid — both defeats against Merab Dvalishvili — and a third straight loss would have meant a title fight would be hard to come by. But O’ Malley looked rejuvenated after his time off, sticking to what brought him to the big show by using his reach, footwork and striking to get in and out while getting his licks in. Yadong did have a few good moments but once “Suga” found his groove it was all downhill for the Chinese-born contender. With the win O’ Malley has a glimmer of hope to get back into the championship picture, though he will likely need one more win to get there.
Honorable Mention: Waldo Cortes-Acosta
The UFC’s Heavyweight division has a new threat to the throne on its hands after “Salsa Boy” secured one of the, if not the, biggest fight of his UFC career after knocking out Derrick Lewis in the second round (highlights). Cortes-Acosta pretty much pitched a shutout, proving to be too quick for “Black Beast,” showing off his speed to evade his foe’s big bombs. He was light on his feet all night and used it to get in and out, dropping the big man and then eventually finishing him off with some vicious ground-and-pound. He is currently ranked No. 5 in the division, so we can expect him to move up a spot or two following his latest conquest.
Biggest Loser: Derrick Lewis
Lewis put on one of his most dreadful performances against Cortes-Acosta, failing to put up any offense in what truly was a puzzling showing for one of the most dangerous and entertaining fighters in the history of the sport. He could not find his range all night, though that was in large part to “Salsa Boy’s” quickness and footwork. Lewis kept overextending on his shots and all he caught was air for the most part. In the second round, Cortes-Acosta tagged Lewis with a soft jab that may or may not have been the reason he fell to the canvas, as the broadcast team was adamant he slipped. Once there, Lewis was like a fish out of water because his foe started unloading on him until the referee stepped in to put an end to a dreadful fight. The loss snaps Lewis’ two-fight win streak and has many wondering if his heart is in it anymore.
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