UFC 324 recap - Justin Gaethje defeats Paddy Pimblett for interim lightweight title, Sean O'Malley out-points Song Yadong in co-main event

Paddy Pimblett suffered defeat in a fight for the interim lightweight title, with Justin Gaethje winning a fight-of-the-year contender at UFC 324 in Las Vegas - live and exclusive coverage on TNT Sports Box Office. Sean O'Malley out-pointed Song Yadong in the co-main event, while Ateba Gautier won a thrilling bout with Andrey Pulyaev.

Justin Gaethje verslaat Paddy Pimblett na vijf harde rondes

Image credit: Getty Images

Pimblett falls short in title tilt

Paddy Pimblett's day of destiny ended in defeat, losing a brutal five-round contest to Justin Gaethje.

'The Highlight' won on all three scorecards, 49-46 (twice) and 48-47, with the latter maybe the fairest reflection of the contest.

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Paddy Pimblett of England looks on during his interim lightweight title bout against Justin Gaethje of the United States in UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Image credit: Getty Images

Pimblett looked the better all-round fighter, but though Gaethje was one-dimensional, the equaliser that is his right hand was too much for the Liverpudlian to handle.

After starting well, after being rocked a couple of times, Pimblett looked a few ground-and-pound shots away from a stoppage defeat before scrambling to safety.

The next round ended even worse as, after being caught for the second time by a finger in the eye, Pimblett was caught by a brutal barrage which surely would have seen a stoppage had there been five more seconds in the round.

Pimblett recovered to take the third with his educated jabs and kicks, but Gaethje forcing his opponent back against the Octagon and landing hooks and uppercuts comfortably secured the round.

Needing a stoppage to win, Pimblett ended the fight the stronger landing shots which forced Gaethje to clinch, but it was clearly not enough to take the fight.

In the co-main event, Sean O'Malley showed his veteran class by winning the final round to edge Song Yadong and put himself in line for a rematch for the bantamweight title.

Elsewhere, Ateba Gautier found an opponent in Andrey Pulyaev who could survive his remorseless onslaught, but the Cameroon fighter prevailed and looks destined to rise to compete with the middleweight elite in the future.

Pimblett pays tribute to Gaethje

"I wanted to be walking away with that belt," Pimblett said in the Octagon after his defeat, live on TNT Sports Box Office.

"There's no one I'd rather lose to than the 'Highlight'. Justin Gaethje is someone I've loved watching, growing up watching the UFC. It shows why he's a legend right there.

"I thought 48-47 was a fair scorecard.

"He hit me with a body shot in the first round. In the solar plexus. It got me. I thought I was winning the first round up 'til that point.

"You live and you learn. I'm 31. I'll be back better, it's as simple as that, you haven't seen the last of me."

Gaethje wins interim lightweight title!

He was awarded the fight 48-47 and a harsh 49-46 (twice).

Gaethje-Pimblett: Round 5

Pimblett starts well but again eats brutal left hooks and right hands up close. Pimblett goes for a takedown but only has him on the mat briefly. Both fighters have beaten their previous biggest totals for punches landed. As Pimblett looks to control the grappling in close, he is caught by a knee from Gaethje. After a couple of leaping knee lifts, Pimblett lands a good combination which forces Gaethje to clinch. The fight ends with Pimblett landing good shots before he falls and catches another blow from Gaethje. What a fight! It seems a pretty clear 3-2 to Gaethje though.

Gaethje-Pimblett: Round 4

Pimblett cannot stop Gaethje’s right hand landing in this round and Pimblett is rocked on a number of occasions. He has reason to be a little aggrieved as he took a knee on the belt like Gaethje but was not granted a rest. As the round went on, Pimblett did better with punishing kicks, but undoubtedly, the round was Gaethje’s. He lands a good combination in the closing seconds, but as he slips, Gaethje lands a couple of brutal shots to the side of his head.

Gaethje-Pimblett: Round 3

Pimblett looks unsteady for the first few moments of the round but then controls the next few minutes with his jab, and he mixes this in with kicks to the torso and head. Pimblett mixes shots up and for the first time wobbles Gaethje. The American may be suffering an injury to his right hand as he is throwing it less. Gaethje claims a low blow, which Pimblett disputes, but it hit him on the waistband. Gaethje takes 45 seconds to recover. Pimblett is timing his shots a lot better now, and you wonder whether his leg kicks will pay dividends in the final two rounds. He definitely pulled one back there.

Gaethje-Pimblett: Round 2

Pimblett starts well with leg kicks and jabs, but Gaethje brings Pimblett to the mat with a front headlock. On a couple of occasions Gaethje catches Pimblett with right hands which hurt the Scouser. Pimblett is doing a lot right, but every time he is caught with his back against the Octagon he looks in danger. For a second time, Pimblett is brought to the mat with a front face-lock. This time when he gets up, he cops a knee to the head. Soon afterwards, a shot leaves the Liverpudlian on the canvas, and he has to desperately hold on the floor. There followed hellish ground and pound which leave Pimblett's right eye a mess and if there had been another five seconds in the fight it would have been stopped. Replays show a poke to Pimblett's eye led to the knockdown punch.

Gaethje-Pimblett: Round 1

Pimblett lands the first big shot and uppercut but Gaethje responds with a right hand himself. They again exchange power soon afterwards and it is Gaethje's shots which have the greater effect. He sends Pimblett to the mat with an uppercut and maybe the Brit was fortunate he was by his corner who advised him to cover up when it looked like there could be an early end. Pimblett landed a good knee lift and uppercut, but though Gaethje lands less his clearly hurt more. An eye poke from Gaethje delays proceedings. Pimblett takes a minute and the referee warns the American there will be a point deducted if this happens again. Pimblett's kicks are effective, but Gaethje again causes harm when he catches the Brit against the Octagon. Hell of a round! But it goes to Gaethje.

It's Time!

Former interim lightweight champion Gaethje (26-5) takes on Pimblett (23-3), who is unbeaten in the UFC.

Gaethje entrance more subdued

Draped in the American flag, Gaethje makes his way to the Octagon far more in business mode.

Oh Paddy The Baddy...

The chants reverb around the arena before he dances his way down to the ring. A fair few fans are wearing 'Paddy' wigs.

The waiting is over...

Can Paddy The Baddy prove the hype is real?

Pimblett: 'If I get on top of Gaethje it's going to be over inside two minutes'

Video credit: TNT Sports

How to watch UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett

UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, Sky, EE TV, Prime Video and Virgin Media TV.

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O'Malley wins unanimous decision!

He takes the fight 29-28 on all three scorecards.

O'Malley-Song: Round 3

Not a great deal of action in the first half of the round and that suits O'Malley who is looking to steal with jabs on the move. He bloodies Song's nose and, a little desperately, the Chinese fighter misses an attempted takedown by a long way. O'Malley lands a couple of good right hands, but has to take a good left hook himself. Mostly though he avoids Song's shots and lands good blows himself, including a knee lift. It feels like a good veteran's victory when the fight looked to be going his opponent's way.

O'Malley-Song: Round 2

Song with a good start landing a brutal shin kick which had O'Malley buckling a little. Song also landed a right hand which O'Malley partially blocked, but certainly felt. Song with a third takedown. O'Malley attempted a guillotine and triangle but could not get any grip. As they got to their feet Song landed more right hands and leg kicks. A pretty clear one-all in rounds going into the third.

O'Malley-Song: Round 1

O'Malley with a strong start. He landed a spinning kick and a number of clean strikes. He was taken to the canvas but immediately managed to try a guillotine attempt which Song repelled, but the veteran ended the round on top.

Gautier reveals injury suffered

In probably the fight of the night, Ateba Gautier beat the incredibly game Andrey Pulyaev in a three-round points decision, but revealed afterwards to TNT Sports that it came at a cost.

Gautier told Adam Catterall he suffered an elbow injury from a kick and will have to have it checked before he can return to the Octagon.

Here we go...

O'Malley as usual begins on his haunches before heading into conflict.

Co-Main Event next...

Former bantamweight champion 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley takes on #5 Song Yadong.

UFC stars make predictions for main event

Watch: UFC stars make their predictions for the Pimblett-Gaethje fight

Video credit: TNT Sports

Cortes Acosta stops Lewis in Round 2

A brutal finish from the Dominican and an indication of how dangerous a fighter he is. It was a little strange as Lewis slipped after a glancing blow from Cortes Acosta. Perhaps thinking the Dominican would let him up as he did in the first round, Lewis switched off as Cortes Acosta unleashed a barrage of shots to the side of the American's head before the referee stepped in.

Cortes Acosta-Lewis: Round 1

The calm before the storm you would hope. Very little of note from either fighter. Cortes Acosta caught a leg kick from Lewis and pulled him to the floor but had little enthusiasm to rush in, letting his opponent up after a few kicks to the hamstring.

Big boys up next...

#5 Waldo Cortes Acosta looks like a rising star in the heavyweight division but this will be the acid test as to whether he belongs in the title picture. #8 Derrick Lewis has stopped many a prospect's rise with his brutal power.

Silva takes unanimous decision!

She maintains her unbeaten record, taking the fight fight 29-28 on all three scorecards. This was not her best performance though and she'll need to up her game if, and most likely when, she fights Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title.

Silva-Namajunas: Round 3

Silva takes the round. She out-strikes her opponent and takes her down in the final minute to emphasise her control in the final five minutes. This could go either way now though.

Silva-Namajunas: Round 2

A scrappy round which Silva was just having the best of until Namajunas took her opponent down and then held her to the mat with the Brazilian on her back for the rest of the round. Silva needs a big final round.

Silva-Namajunas: Round 1

With small movements and feignts Silva forces a lot of movement from Namajunas and lands kicks early in the round. Namajunas has success with right

hands herself and avoids most of the Brazilian's shots. You get the feeling Silva will take control but she hasn't done so far.

Women's flyweight contenders next...

#2 Natalia Silva takes on #6 former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas.

Silva: Allen an idol of mine

"It's hard to fight an idol of yours and someone you really admire," Silva said, explaining his emotion at the end of the fight

"I don't care who is the champion. I'm next."

Silva wins unanimous decision

He takes the fight 30-27 and 29-28 (twice).

Allen-Silva: Round 3

A cagey opening, with a right hand to the body, left hook combination from Silva the first big shots. He follows doubling up hooks. Allen then gets Silva's back and holds him against the Octagon for a time, but cannot get him to the mat. Thereafter, Allen struggles to get shots off and in the final minute and Silva lands knee lifts and a couple of brutal head kicks which see Allen stumble to the mat and Silva then leaps and steps on his opponent's back. A convincing round for Silva to take the fight.

Allen-Silva: Round 2

Allen is fighting a tremendous fight. Whel Silva is the more explosive. He landed with numerous southpaw one-twos plus kicks and a decent knee lift. Once more an elbow from Silva got him wobbled and bloodied his nose. Though Allen kept up the pace he ate another elbow followed by a big left uppercut. Do you go with Allen's quantity or the bigger shots from Silva? A round each feels fair.

Allen-Silva: Round 1

A fine end to the round from Silva, with an elbow, head kick and elbow against the Octagon which had the Brit wobbling on the buzzer. Prior to this it was a good job by Allen. With a tight defence, he outlanded his opponent with his tight southpaw guard not letting much get through - until the final exchange which probably gives the edge to the Brazilian.

Featherweights up first...

And a hell of a contest as Britain's #6 Arnold Allen takes on #10 Jean Silva. A win for the Ipswich man would put him close to a title fight. Silva goes into the contest a big favourite though.

'Paddy The Baddy' headlines great card

Bisping warning for Paddy

‘He’s got to be careful’ – Bisping warns Pimblett of ‘reckless’ overconfidence

Video credit: TNT Sports

The Main Card begins now...

How to watch UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett

UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, Sky, EE TV, Prime Video and Virgin Media TV.

You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.

EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.

Dominick Cruz is a Hall of Famer!

The two-time UFC champion gets reward for a fantastic career.

Nurmagomedov wins on points!

He takes a unanimous decision 30-27, on all three cards.

Nurmagomedov-Figueiredo: Round 3

Nurmagomedov takes his opponent down a couple of minutes into the round and, without looking for a submission, retains control with ground and pound and superior ground game until the final seconds when Figueiredo gets to his feet and throws a 'Hail Mary' punch - which misses the target. Not an exciting fight but a convincing win for Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov-Figueiredo: Round 2

The crowd booed midway through the round after little went on, bar a brief takedown from Nurmagomedov. But in the last minute, seemingly stung into action from a right hand from Nurmagomedov, Figueiredo threw a flurry of shots to rouse the crowd and make his corner feel (or at least convey) that he won the round. He probably didn't.

Nurmagomedov-Figueiredo: Round 1

A cagey opening with Nurmagomedov stalking his opponent before taking him down with just over a minute left in the round and holding him on his back, landing a number of shots in the closing seconds. Figueiredo did not land an effective blow in the round.

Final prelim contest up next...

Former bantamweight title challenger (#2) Umar Nurmagomedov takes on former two-time flyweight champion Brazilian (#8) Deiveson Figueiredo.

Gautier wins on points!

He takes the fight 30-27 and 29-28 (twice).

Gautier-Pulyaev: Round 3

A quiet third round which even brings some boos from the spoiled fans. Even though he was circling backwards throughout the round, you can provide a good argument that Pulyaev won the final round, landing more shots than his opponent. But it is Gautier's fight.

Gautier-Pulyaev: Round 2

Pulyaev starts off well but just before the mid-point of the round he is dropped by another right hand and Gautier repeats the dose a minute later and looks to have the Russian on the brink when he follows up with more shots and knee lifts. Pulyaev fights away from the Octagaon and gives himself breathing room. In the final seconds, the Russian lands some good leg kicks. Even in likely defeat Pulyaev will lift his reputation.

Gautier-Pulyaev: Round 1

Gautier is brutal. His first right hand sends Pulyaev to the mat and he rocks him multiple times before the first minute is out. Every shot Gautier lands is with intent. Pulyaev gets better as the round goes on landing with kicks to the Cameroon fighter's torso and more strikes in the last minute. Still, a big round for Gautier but he may have to be wary of punching himself out.

Rising Middleweights next...

‘The Silent Assassin’ from Cameroon Ateba Gautier (9-1) takes on Andrey Pulyaev (10-3) in a battle between two middleweights who could be challenging for a title down the road.

Gautier has three straight first-round finishes and Pulyaev has won five fights in the first round.

How to watch UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett

UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, Sky, EE TV, Prime Video and Virgin Media TV.

You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.

EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.

Krylov stops Bukauskas in Round 3!

With four seconds left the fight is called off! As Bukauskas got desperate in the final ten seconds his chin, high in the air, was caught by a right counter which sent him to the floor. A couple more defenceless shots and the referee stepped in. Even without the KO, Krylov was set to take the contest as the more active fighter - the one who it appeared wanted to win more as basic as that sounds. His front kicks landed at will and he was prepared to take the risks to land strikes, even though when Bukauskas did throw he generally landed clean. The consequence when the Lithuanian did take a risk perhaps shows why he did not do so earlier.

Krylov-Bukauskas: Round 2

Bukauskas with the better of this round. Landing clean from the off, and making Krylov look the older fighter he is. Just after the mid-point of the round a shot leads Krylov to lose his mouthguard. From this point Krylov got back into the fight, landing front kicks and strikes with both hands, but the Lithuanian fighter edged control again near the end of the five minutes.

Krylov-Bukauskas: Round 1

Kyrlov just edges the competitive opener, controlling the centre of the Octagon and the pace of the fight. Bukauskas was able to land cleaner shots on Krylov but just did not do so enough.

Light-heavyweights up next...

Russia's Nikita Krylov (#13) takes on Modestas Bukauskas of Lithuania.

Perez KOs Johnson in Round 1

A left hook dropped Johnson and Perez was close to stopping him in that moment with ground and pound but the referee gave the fighter the chance to recover. It meant him taking a lot more punishment over the next two minutes before another brutal left hook saw him fall to the mat face first with jelly legs. As Perez celebrated Johnson stumbled across the ring trying to carry on, only emphasising that the stoppage was needed.

Prelims set to begin...

In a catchweight contest, 11th-rated flyweight Alex Perez takes on #13 Charles Johnson. Perez weighed in two-and-a-half pounds over the limit and ceded 25% of his purse to his opponent, with the fight taking place as a catchweight.

It has been a long road for Paddy The Baddy...

We are LIVE!

The coverage is underway on TNT Sports Box Office.

The action will begin shortly.

Hello and Welcome...

The night has arrived! Tonight Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett gets the chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a UFC champion.

When is UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett?

The preliminary fights for UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett begin at 00:00 on Sunday, January 25, UK time.

The main card, which is headlined by Gaethje v Pimblett, will begin at 02:00 on Sunday, January 25, also UK time.

How to watch UFC 324: Gaethje v Pimblett

UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett costs £19.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, Sky, EE TV, Prime Video and Virgin Media TV.

You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.

EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.

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