Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett to Headline Historic UFC 324 Card on Paramount+

UFC is officially set to make its debut on Paramount+ at the start of next year in a big way.

The company announced on Thursday that its first event on Paramount+ will be UFC 324 on Jan. 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a pair of title fights, with Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett facing off for the interim lightweight title in the main event and UFC women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison defending her title in the co-main event against UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes.

The historic partnership between the UFC and Paramount+ will establish a new era for the MMA giant, as UFC 324 will be the first of 13 numbered events in 2026 to be featured on the streaming platform with a subscription at no additional cost, doing away with the longstanding pay-per-view model. The main card will feature a new start time of 9 p.m. ET, moving up an hour.

"Saturday, January 24th in Las Vegas kicks off this incredible partnership with Paramount," UFC President and CEO Dana White said in a release. "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."

Gaethje and Pimblett will be vying for the opportunity to face UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, as the interim title will create a definitive No. 1 contender. The two of them recently became entangled when Pimblett had some sharp words for Gaethje's claim that "They owe me a championship fight."

"I don't ever want to say a bad word about Justin Gaethje because he's a legend, but he's doing interviews lately being a proper b---h, saying the UFC owe him, and he deserves it and all that," Pimblett told Jamal Niaz of JNMEDIAUK (h/t MMAJunkie.com's Farah Hannoun). "No one's owed nothing. You fight for it."

Now, they will do just that. Gaethje will be looking to become the first person to defeat Pimblett in the UFC, as he's won seven straight fights since joining the company in 2021.

The co-main event also features some tension, as Harrison and Nunes were once training partners at American Top Team. Nunes reigned over the bantamweight division for years and also claimed the now-defunct featherweight title along the way. She retired from MMA in 2023, but the call of a historic fight against Harrison was too hard to ignore.

Harrison stormed through the PFL before finally making the jump to the UFC in 2024. She defeated Julianna Pena to win the bantamweight title at UFC 316 in June, setting up a highly anticipated showdown against Nunes.

UFC 324 will also feature the return of former bantamweight champion "Suga" Sean O'Malley, who will meet Song Yadong as he tries to work his way back into title contention. Other fights include heavyweights Waldo Cortes Acosta and Derrick Lewis facing off in a clash of knockout artists, and former champions Alexa Grasso and "Thug" Rose Namajunas meeting for the first time.