UFC 324 adds two more top-ranked fighters to kick off new Paramount deal

Perennial top-ranked fighter Alex Perez is set to make a quick turnaround and face fellow flyweight contender Charles Johnson at UFC 324.

With only two UFC cards left on the calendar for 2025, the promotion recently announced that it will kick off 2026 and its new deal with Paramount with back-to-back numbered events in the form of UFC 324 and UFC 325.

UFC 324 will officially usher in the new era following the conclusion of the UFC’s deal with ESPN, and MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Guilherme Cruz were the first to confirm that Johnson and Perez will feature as part of a stacked fight card in Las Vegas.

Alex Perez Looks To Rebound vs. Charles Johnson At UFC 324

Currently the UFC’s #11-ranked flyweight contender, Perez dropped four places in the rankings at 125 lbs. after he was submitted by Asu Almabayev at UFC Qatar last month.

Alex Perez reacts after his knockout victory against Jose Torres during UFC 227 at Staples Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The loss to Almabayev leaves Perez on a two-fight skid after a knee injury also ended his UFC Fight Night main event clash with Tatsuro Taira in June of last year. The 33-year-old did knock out Matheus Nicolau less than two months before that, but he’s 1-4 across his last five bouts and has been plagued by fight cancellations throughout much of his UFC run.

The #13-ranked Johnson will have the chance to climb several spots in the rankings when the two flyweights meet at UFC 324. “InnerG” had a four-fight win streak snapped by Ramazan Temirov in March, but he rebounded in stunning fashion in August by knocking out the formerly-undefeated Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC Shanghai.

Charles Johnson (blue gloves) knocks out Joshua Van (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Josh Hokit Meets Denzel Freeman After 56-Second UFC Debut

While it isn’t as high-stakes of a matchup as Perez vs. Johnson, this week Nolan King also reported that UFC 324 will feature a heavyweight clash between Josh Hokit and Denzel Freeman.

Both men are coming off victories in their respective UFC debuts, as Freeman took a decision over fellow Octagon debutant Marek Bujlo last month for his third-straight victory. He’ll face a stiff test at UFC 324 against the undefeated Hokit, who only needed 56 seconds to knock out Max Gimenis after winning a UFC contract on this year’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Josh Hokit during his fight on Dana White's Contender Series. | (Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 324 is headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett and will also see Amanda Nunes return to challenge UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison in the co-main event. With the additions of Perez vs. Johnson and Hokit vs. Freeman, the card on January 24 now features a total of 11 fights.

UFC 324 Fight Card

• Main Event: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett – For the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship

• Co-Main Event: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes – For the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

• Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong

• Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis

• Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva

• Nikita Krylov vs. Modestastas Bukauskas

• Alexa Grasso vs. Rose Namajunas

• Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveeson Figueiredo

• Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev

• Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson

• Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman

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