Dana White announces Justin Gaethje-Paddy Pimblett interim title fight for UFC 324

UFC President and CEO Dana White has officially unveiled a host of matchups for the UFC’s first big event of 2026.

UFC 326 will feature a loaded card of action, as the UFC kicks off its broadcast and streaming partnership with Paramount, with the numbered event marking a new era of pay-per-view-free MMA from the sport’s leading promotion.

UFC 324 fights announced

White appeared during the CBS halftime show for the Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys game, and announced the top five fights on the card.

Gaethje vs Pimblett: Lightweight fan-favourites collide for interim gold

Headlining the card is a battle for the interim UFC lightweight title, as rival contenders Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett go head to head for interim gold.

Former title challenger Gaethje is looking to recapture the interim lightweight title to position himself for a shot at undisputed champion Ilia Topuria later in the year. The American, who has a career record of 26-5, won the interim belt back in 202 with a TKO finish of Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, but his two attempts to capture undisputed gold both ended in defeat as he was submitted by both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Meanwhile, this will be Pimblett’s first shot at a UFC championship belt. The Liverpudlian lightweight captured championship gold for Cage Warriors as a featherweight, but he fell short of capturing the promotion’s 155-pound belt.

Since then, “The Baddy” has made the jump to the world stage with the UFC, and has looked better with each fight as he has amassed a perfect seven-fight win streak in the Octagon.

Harrison vs Nunes: The best meets the greatest

The co-main event will feature a women’s bantamweight title fight, as current 135-pound champion Kayla Harrison puts her title on the line for the first time against the greatest female champion in UFC history, former two-division queen Amanda Nunes.

Harrison completed the gruelling journey from lightweight to bantamweight as the two-time judo gold medallist and former PFL women’s lightweight champion joined the UFC and transformed her body composition to be competitive at 135 pounds.

And, having beaten the weight battle to establish herself in the weight class, Harrison has looked unstoppable as she claimed a submission victory over former UFC champion Holly Holm on her Octagon debut, then outpointed longtime contender Ketlen Vieira to earn a shot at the title.

That title shot came at UFC 316 earlier this year, where Harrison dominated, then submitted, Julianna Pena to capture the women’s 135-pound title.

Now she’s set to take on UFC royalty as Hall of Famer Nunes makes her comeback from retirement to face Harrison for the 135-pound title she previously held twice.

Nunes’s last Octagon appearance came back at UFC 289 in June 2023, where she defended her title against Irene Aldana. She later vacated the belt and announced her retirement. Now, following her induction to the UFC Hall of Fame, Nunes has the itch to compete again, and she’ll return with more glory on her mind as she takes on Harrison for championship gold.

Top contenders collide on the UFC 324 card

Also confirmed for the January 24 card is a bantamweight contender clash between former champion Sean O’Malley and Chinese contender Song Yadong, while heavyweight Waldo Cortes Acosta will look to continue his remarkable rise when he takes on the UFC’s knockout king, Derrick Lewis.

Two top featherweight talents will go head to head, a England’s Arnold Allen takes on Brazil’s Jean Silva. And in the featured preliminary card bout, former flyweight champion Alexa Grasso takes on former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in a 125-pound bout.

The prelims will also see the latest step on the journey of destructive Cameroonian middleweight striker Ateba Gautier, who takes on Andrey Pulyaev in a 185-pound clash.

Dana White on ‘absolutely stacked’ UFC 324 card

“Saturday, January 24 in Las Vegas kicks off this incredible partnership with Paramount,” said UFC President and CEO Dana White.

“I am so excited for UFC fans that our first card has six current and former champions, including the long-awaited return of the greatest female fighter of all time – which is definitely the biggest women’s fight ever.

“Also, in the main event we have Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title to see who will face Ilia Topuria later this year on Paramount+.

“This card is absolutely stacked – every fight is a must-see. This deal is such a huge win for fans with no more pay-per-view. I look forward to 2026 being our best year ever.”