UFC 324 results: Four biggest takeaways from a wild night in Las Vegas

The first UFC event of 2026 kicked off the new deal with Paramount in a big way on Saturday when UFC 324 went down from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The landmark event ended in spectacular fashion with Justin Gaethje defeating Paddy Pimblett to capture the interim lightweight championship in an instant classic.

The night was filled with big moments and impressive performances that set up what should be a massive year in the Octagon.

Among those who came away with big wins aside from Gaethje were Sean O’Malley, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Natalia Silva. However, Pimblett also walked away as a winner after his gutsy performance in defeat against Gaethje.

With that in mind, we took a look at some of the biggest takeaways from UFC 324. Let’s get into it.

Gaethje is at his best fighting on instinct

Justin Gaethje is interim lightweight champion once again, and he owes it all to fighting the way that made him one of the sport’s most popular fighters. In recent years, Gaethje has attempted to fight with more of a strategic and tactical mind. That all went out the window against Paddy Pimblett on Saturday night. When Pimblett began to flow offensively, tagging Gaethje with flurries of crisp shots, Gaethje reverted to his old self, throwing down and meeting fire with fire. And Gaethje’s fire has power few can match, as evidenced by the repeated knockdowns of Pimblett. When Gaethje is fighting instinctively, his opponents have to bring their game to an entire new level and go to places few other opponents can take them. That’s why Gaethje is heading home with UFC gold.

“Yeah, my coach was definitely upset with me after the first round,” Gaethje said of Saturday’s performance. “I just love this shit so much, it’s really hard to control myself sometimes.”

Pimblett may have won in defeat

Sure, being an interim champion is better than any sort of moral victory, but Pimblett has plenty to be proud about. Very few men can stand up to five rounds of Gaethje’s power. Pimblett showed the kind of heart and toughness that isn’t able to be taught, it’s something a fighter either has or doesn’t. Pimblett faced some criticism for not “deserving” a shot at an interim title, but he proved he belongs in the Octagon with the best of the best. Even as things were going bad, Pimblett never stopped trying to win and continued to hit Gaethje with clean punches, kicks and knees.

Pimblett was one half of an instant classic and anyone who says they didn’t gain respect for the Liverpool, England native is lying. As Pimblett once said, “Scousers don’t get knocked out.” What was once a cheeky saying suddenly feels as though it might be rooted in reality.

Sean O’Malley shoots himself back into title contention

O’Malley entered Saturday having lost back-to-back championship fights to Merab Dvalishvili. It was only fair to wonder if O’Malley simply ran into a fighter who had his number, or if his time at the top of the bantamweight division was over shortly after it began. Against Song Yadong, O’Malley took a patient, professional approach, not forcing the issue against a dangerous striker in an attempt to prove something larger than can be shown in a single round. By the third round, O’Malley was rolling, tagging Yadong with a variety of strikes and asserting his dominance. With the win, O’Malley is right back in title contention, though he’ll have to wait for the rematch between Dvalishvili and the man who defeated him to win the title, Petr Yan. O’Malley already holds a split decision win over Yan, making for an attractive title opportunity if Yan wins the trilogy with Dvalishvili.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Natalia Silva make their title contention cases

Cortes-Acosta faced a serious test and one of the biggest stars in the UFC when he took on Derrick Lewis. Cortes-Acosta pitched a near-shutout against the UFC record holder for most knockouts, picking spots to drill Lewis with heavy leg kicks and straight punches until Lewis had nothing left and ended up on the ground, seemingly giving up as Cortes-Acosta pounded away with strikes to force the stoppage. In a heavyweight division in flux with champion Tom Aspinall sidelined for the foreseeable future due to eye injuries suffered against Cyril Gane, Cortes-Acosta made a solid case for an interim title shot.

As for Silva, it was already stated that a win over Rose Namajunas would earn her a title shot. Namajunas made it difficult, forcing Silva to scrap for every bit of ground. In the end, Silva won the fight by unanimous decision, picking up a third consecutive victory over a former UFC champion. Now, Silva can look forward to the challenge of facing Valentina Schevchenko for the women’s flyweight championship.