Will The Baddy’s Rise to UFC Gold End? UFC 324 Gaethje vs. Pimblett Prediction, Props & Odds

The UFC is back after a six-week layoff with its first card of 2026 and will be broadcast on Paramount+ in the first event of the $7.7 billion media rights deal with the streaming service begins.

UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimbett How to Watch

When: Saturday, January 24th 6pm
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
How to Watch: Paramount+

Here’s a look at two bets I am targeting on the main card with odds via DraftKings.

Justin Gaethje (+190) vs. Paddy Pimblett (-230) Prediction

With the current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, taking some time off due to personal reasons, this fight will be contested for the interim UFC title. This is the classic matchup of the aging veteran in Gaethje taking on the rising star in Paddy ‘The Baddy’. When the lines for this fight came out with Pimbllett opening as around a 2.5 to 1 favorite, I expected the books were enticing the public to back Gaethje. That simply hasn’t happened with the public continuing to back the star from Liverpool.

Gaethje has earned 14 post fight finishes in his career and is one of the most violent athletes MMA has ever seen. Questions have been endless about Pimblett’s resume consisting of aging veterans and Dana White and the matchmakers are once again giving him an opponent over 35 years old.

Out of all sports, fortunes change in this sport faster than any others. With that being said I feel like this is just Paddy’s time. He has more paths to victory due to him being more well-rounded with his jiu-jitsu if this fight makes it to the ground and has finished 17 of his 23 career fights as a pro.

Bet: Paddy Pimblett to Win by KO/TKO/DQ or Submission -145 (DK)

Sean O’Malley (-205) vs. Song Yadong (+170) Prediction

The Suga Show has faced the most adversity since O’Malley burst onto the UFC scene in 2017. He is coming off of back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili, unable to regain the bantamweight title. The UFC still thinks a lot of him, as evidenced by him being featured in the co-main event on one of the most anticipated events in the history of the promotion.

His opponent, Song Yadong, is on a somewhat different trajectory winning 3-of-4, but is still somehow an almost 2/1 underdog. This fight has major implications for Song in a crowded 135lb division, where a loss here could seriously derail his path to a title shot any time soon.

While a very well-rounded and athletic opponent, he is at a fairly significant disadvantage when it comes to reach and size. O’Malley should be able to get off to a fast start in terms of finding his range and immediately look for openings to finish the fight. After downloading information during the first round, O'Malley should be able to find a finish sometime late in the second round with a knockout finish.

Bet: O’Malley via KO/TKO/DQ +300

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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