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The UFC held its first event of 2026, and it was the first event of the Paramount-era on Saturday for a solid UFC 324 card. The main event saw Justin Gaethje take on Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title. The co-main event saw Sean O’Malley taking on Song Yadong in a pivotal fight at bantamweight.
In the end, it was Gaethje who picked up a decision win over Pimblett in an instant classic. The co-main event saw O’Malley return to the win column with a decision over Yadong.
Following UFC 324, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.
Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje was looking to become a two-time interim lightweight champion, and he did just that on Saturday at UFC 324. Gaethje started strong as he dropped Pimblett, and he kept up the pressure throughout the fight. It was clear Gaethje had the power advantage, and when he was the aggressor, he had plenty of success.
With the win, Gaethje is the interim lightweight champion, and his next fight will be against Ilia Topuria, which will be a highly-anticipated bout.
Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett had a chance to set up a massive fight with Ilia Topuria with a win at UFC 324, but he fell short. Pimblett had moments in the fight, but Gaethje’s power was the difference-maker.
Although Pimblett lost, he’s still right in the title picture and will only need a win or two to get right back to a potential shot. A logical next fight is to face the winner of Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis, which takes place this Saturday at UFC 325. The timing works out for a fight in the summer, with the winner very well could earn a title shot.
Sean O’Malley
(via Zuffa LLC)
Sean O’Malley returned to the win column with a hard-fought win over Song Yadong at UFC 324. O’Malley had a good first round before dropping in the second round. Yet, in the third round, he took over and landed the more damaging shots to get the win.
With the victory, O’Malley will get the next title shot against Petr Yan, which would be a rematch. It would be a highly-anticipated bout, and that makes sense as the Yan-Dvalishvili trilogy seems unlikely, while Umar Nurmagomedov didn’t impress enough to leapfrog O’Malley.
Song Yadong
Song Yadong had a chance to become a true title contender at bantamweight, but he fell short against Sean O’Malley at UFC 324. Yadong had moments in the fight and is still a top contender. His next fight should be against the winner of the Mario Bautista vs. Vincius Oliveira main event fight in two weeks.
