UFC 324 and 325 Stacked With Title Fights as Paramount Partnership Begins
Dana White took to social media on Thanksgiving to announce three title fights for the first two UFC events on Paramount Plus.
UFC 324 kicks off the partnership on January 24th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lightweight Shake-Up
UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has announced he’ll be taking a sabbatical from fighting to address personal issues. That opens the door for an Interim Lightweight Championship in the UFC 324 main event, as former BMF champion and No. 4 ranked contender Justin Gaethje, one of the most electric fighters in the sport, collides with No. 5 ranked English sensation Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.
Championship Doubleheader
The co-main event delivers a massive superfight. Olympic Judo medalist Kayla Harrison defends her UFC Women’s Bantamweight title for the first time against the women’s MMA G.O.A.T., former two-division champion and UFC Hall of Famer Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes.
Bantamweight Battles
On the men’s Bantamweight side, some of the best in the world get the chance to stake their claim for a title shot. Former champion and sniper striker, No. 2 ranked “Suga” Sean O’Malley, takes on rising Japanese standout, No. 5 ranked Song “The Kung Fu Kid” Yadong.
Also in the division, former title challenger and No. 9 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov meets former Flyweight champion, No. 6 ranked Deiveson Figueiredo.
Heavyweight Collision
In the Heavyweight division, the man of the moment, No. 5 ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta, squares off with the UFC’s all-time knockout king, No. 8 ranked Derrick Lewis.
Former Champs at Flyweight
Former champions collide at Flyweight as No. 3 ranked Alexa Grasso faces former Strawweight queen, No. 6 ranked Rose Namajunas.
Featherweight Fireworks
At Featherweight, No. 6 ranked English technician “Almighty” Arnold Allen battles Brazilian wildman and No. 11 ranked Jean Silva.
Rising Violence at Middleweight
Plus, at Middleweight, surging knockout artist Ateba Gautier looks to continue his scary rise as he meets Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev.
It’s a stacked offering for the first card with their new broadcast partner. UFC 324 will also debut new start times:
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Early Prelims: 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT
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Prelims: 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
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Main Card: 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT
The Following Week – UFC 325
On January 31st, the UFC heads to Sydney, Australia, as Alexander Volkanovski defends the UFC Featherweight title in a rematch against Diego Lopes. Volkanovski became a two-time champion when he beat Lopes by unanimous decision in April for the belt vacated by Ilia Topuria. The greatest Featherweight of all time hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since reclaiming gold.
Lopes enters the rematch fresh off halting the meteoric rise of Jean Silva with a spinning back-elbow knockout in September.
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