UFC 324 Prelim Fight Card Picks & Predictions for Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett

The UFC finally returns this Saturday (January 24) with UFC 324, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all eight of the card’s prelim fights.

The main event for UFC 324 is a fight for the interim lightweight title between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. Gaethje previously won the division’s interim title in 2020 but lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout later that year, while Pimblett is undefeated since joining the UFC in 2021.

The co-main event was supposed to see UFC Hall of Famer return to challenge UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison before Harrison withdrew with a neck injury, and now a bout between former men’s bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong will serve as the night’s penultimate fight.

UFC 324 Preliminary Card Predictions

Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) fights Umar Nurmagomedov (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A former UFC champion and former title challenger get the honors of fighting in the first featured prelim of 2026, and the winner should be squarely in the mix for another shot at championship glory. The current betting line on this fight is outrageous, but Nurmagomedov should still get his hand raised.

(Pick: Nurmagomedov)

Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev

Ateba Gautier (red gloves) reacts after the against Tre’ston Vines (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. — Ateba Gautier (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Tre’ston Vines (blue gloves) during UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Gautier firmly established himself as a rising star last year, and it seems pretty clear that the UFC is trying to set “The Silent Assassin” up for another finish with this matchup against Pulyaev.

(Pick: Gautier)

Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas

Modestas Bukauskas (red gloves) fights Paul Craig (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Bukauskas isn’t quite the same kind of one-punch knockout threat that Krylov faced in his two previous outings, but he does pack enough power to put the Ukrainian in serious trouble after he was knocked out twice last year.

(Pick: Bukauskas)

Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson

Alex Perez punches Jussier Formiga in their flyweight bout during UFC 250 at the UFC APEX. | Handout Photo-Imagn Images

This is probably the most underrated fight on this card, especially with perennial top contender Perez coming in off back-to-back losses to put him at 1-5 dating back to 2020. The 33-year-old has only lost to the best that the UFC flyweight division has to offer, and I’m going to slightly lean with him to get back on track against Johnson

(Pick: Perez)

Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez

Alexander Hernandez (red gloves) fights Diego Ferreira (blue gloves) during Noche UFC at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

I’m tempted to pick Johnson here after he scored a significant upset over Daniel Zellhuber in his last outing, but Hernandez has been on an impressive run since moving back to the lightweight division.

(Pick: Hernandez)

Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman

Josh Hokit won a UFC contract on this year's edition of Dana White's Contender Series. — Josh Hokit won a UFC contract on last year's edition of Dana White's Contender Series. | (Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)

Hokit is another fighter on this card that the UFC seems interested in putting its promotional muscle behind. Freeman did beat the formerly-undefeated Marek Bujlo in his own UFC debut, but I expect that “The Incredible Hok” will get things done here.

(Pick: Hokit)

Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman

Ricky Simon (red gloves) fights Cameron Smotherman (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Both of these men could see their respective UFC careers end if they suffer a third-straight loss here, and I think Smotherman will be able to snap his losing run against Turcios and even out his Octagon record in the process.

(Pick: Smotherman)

Ty Miller vs. Adam Fugitt

Adam Fugitt (red gloves) fights against Islam Dulatov (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

It may just be because I don’t love how heavy a favorite Miller is heading into his UFC debut, but I’m picking Fugitt to continue his trend of alternating wins and losses in the UFC after he was knocked out by Islam Dulatov in his only outing last year.

(Pick: Fugitt)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 324 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for main card predictions as well as live results and highlights on fight night.

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