The first UFC event of the Paramount era began with a bang, leaving MMA fans highly satisfied.
While no one has yet been submitted in 2026, five KO/TKO stoppages were produced, with most of them occurring in the prelims.
However, it was the main event that stole the show with a remarkable battle that will be hard to beat for Fight of the Year.
Here is everything that unfolded at UFC 324 and who emerged as winners at the first UFC event of the year.
Gaethje Guarantees shot for undisputed lightweight title
The headliner was bound to be an electric bout between two of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC.
Justin Gaethje had the chance to become a two-time interim champion, hoping to get one last shot at the undisputed belt.
Paddy Pimblett was on an insane rise to the top of the lightweight division with a win, setting him in position to take on his most formidable foe, Ilia Topuria.
While some fans believed there would be a stoppage, the five-round lightweight clash went the full distance in bizarre fashion.
‘The Highlight’ viciously came out early, landing a knockdown in the first two rounds as he almost finished the Liverpudlian.
‘The Baddy’ had a glimmer of hope when he out-struck Gaethje in the third round as both men were happy to stay on their feet.
The final two rounds provided even more back-and-forth action, but it was clear that the #4 lightweight contender did enough to win by unanimous decision.
The 38-year-old has become the first fighter to be a two-time interim UFC Champion, but he eyes the undisputed championship in the near future in his final quest to become the best lightweight in the world.
The Suga Show Bounces Back
The co-main event was hard to predict, as two fighters faced off, looking for a title shot.
Sean O’Malley had back-to-back losses in championship fights against Merab Dvalishvili as he sought redemption.
Song Yadong fought as a #5 contender for the first time in his career and had the chance to move into the top three.
Both men are impressive strikers, so it was likely that the battle would stay on the feet for the majority of the three-round bout.
The former UFC Bantamweight Champion landed more strikes in the first round, despite a takedown from the Chinese mixed martial artist.
Yadong became more successful on the feet in the second round, while taking down the American twice.
The most brutal round came in the last one as O’Malley was landing nothing but clean strikes, which were making the ‘Kung Fu Kid’ bleed.
To the judges’ scorecards they went, and after a super-close fight, ‘Suga’ took the victory to win by unanimous decision, his first non-title fight win since October 2022.
Other Highlights from UFC 324
Waldo Cortes-Acosta extended his win streak to three as he stopped knockout record holder Derrick Lewis by second-round TKO.
Natalia Silva conquered a third former UFC Champion, showcasing enough to triumph by unanimous decision over Rose Namajunas.
Jean Silva victoriously went the distance for the second time in his MMA career, picking up an unanimous decision win against Arnold Allen.
Umar Nurmagomedov earned back-to-back decision victories as he maintained his #2 bantamweight ranking against Deiveson Figueiredo.
For the first time in the UFC, Ateba Gautier went the distance to win by unanimous decision as Andrey Pulyaev survived multiple knockdowns.
Nikita Krylov bounced back with a buzzer-beater TKO in round three, stopping promising prospect Modestas Bukauskas.
Alex Perez redeemed himself and became the first fighter to defeat Charles Johnson by knockout, stopping the #13 contender in round one.
Josh Hokit maintained his unbeaten record and 100% finish rate with a last first-round TKO win over Denzel Freeman.
Ty Miller shone on his debut to remain undefeated with a first-round TKO victory over Adam Fugitt, earning the first UFC win of 2026.