This wasn’t the way the UFC wanted to debut on Paramount+, as they launch a new seven-year broadcast deal worth $7.7 billion (in the US alone) with this Saturday’s UFC 324.
Make no mistake, UFC 324 is a very good card. However, it should have been a great card, and it might have been if the co-main event hadn’t been lost.
Under normal circumstances, a failed co-main event wouldn’t matter much. If your co-main event comes down to a superfight between MMA GOAT Amanda Nunes, returning from retirement, and current UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, that’s a different story.
Nunes vs. Harrison has been years in the making and, if you will, included all the major plot points to make the fight huge. Former teammates, until Nunes left American Top Team. A two-time Olympic gold medalist in Harrison. The women fighting GOAT in Nunes. The absolute best fight the absolute best, with that statement for once not being exaggerated by the UFC’s marketing machine.
And so fight fans are left with Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett for the UFC interim lightweight championship. It was always the main event of UFC 324, and it’s a very good fight. A last chance for Gaethje, a first title shot for Pimblett. It’ll undoubtedly be a really good fight (ever seen a boring Justin Gaethje fight? You’ll have a better chance of spotting Bigfoot), but at the same time the card feels a little strangely like a giant coming out party.
Tune into the event ahead of UFC 324 press conference before the fight. That will happen on Thursday, January 22, 2026, starting at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT. Watch it above!
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