The UFC may soon crown its first contender for Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title, as Justin Gaethje is set to battle Paddy Pimblett for the interim championship in the main event at UFC 324.
Gaethje, a former interim titleholder in the division, secured this shot after winning three of his last four bouts, including a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Fiziev last March. Pimblett, a rising star from the U.K., remains unbeaten in the Octagon and comes off a knockout win against Michael Chandler.
In the co-main event, former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley aims to return to title contention against Song Yadong. O’Malley seeks to bounce back after suffering consecutive losses in his previous two Octagon bouts. Song, on the other hand, emerged victorious over Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision in his last fight.
On the undercard, former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo lost via unanimous decision to Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight contest, while another former champion, Rose Namajunas, was defeated by rising flyweight star Natalia Silva in the second match of the main card.
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim, and Dre Waters provide a comprehensive analysis of all the action from the first UFC fight card of the year.
