The Old Guard Stands Tall

Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via yahoosports.com

Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett

In the main event of UFC 324, Justin Gaethje became a two-time UFC Interim Lightweight champion, defeating Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision.

This will go down as one of the greatest title fights of all time.

Right off the bat, Gaethje stalked Pimblett, pushing him to the cage and landing massive straights. At the beginning of the first round, Gaethje caught Pimblett with a right hand, knocking him to the canvas.

The second round was more of the same. Gaethje had no concern for what was being thrown at him, walking through the strikes of Pimblett and landing devastating blows.

He got another knockdown, but was unable to capitalize.

In the third round, Pimblett started to build momentum. He was finding a rhythm on the feet, catching Gaethje with looping right hands. As the fight headed towards the championship rounds, it looked to be Pimblett's fight.

However, Gaethje caught a second wind and continued to stalk Pimblett, walking him down, utilizing leg kicks to limit Pimblett's mobility.

In the fifth round, both fighters left it all on the line, nearly finishing each other.

In the end, Gaethje emerged victorious.

For Pimblett, many question whether his game plan was effective. With the sizeable advantage in the grappling department, fans were puzzled as to why he decided to stay on his feet.

For Gaethje, this was exactly what he wanted: a war.

He now stands across from the Undisputed Lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria.

Gaethje enters this contest as the heavy underdog.

However, one thing MMA fans have learned over his career is that you can never count out 'The Highlight.'

Sean O'Malley def. Song Yadong via mmafighting.com

Sean O'Malley vs Song Yadong

In the co-main event, former Bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley, put on a vintage performance defeating Song Yadong by unanimous decision.

For O'Malley, he had to dig deep.

Following consecutive losses, O'Malley was on the brink of irrelevance and needed a statement victory.

O'Malley was able to manage distance effectively, keeping Song at the end of his punches. He also utilized the front kicks to the body to limit Song's mobility.

Song was able to land takedowns, but did little damage with top position.

In the third round, with the fight being tied, O'Malley began to separate from Song, catching him with clean straight lefts and knees to the body & head.

O'Malley now finds himself right back in title contention.

With new champion Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili set to rematch, O'Malley could very well be next in line, and the UFC has made it clear that they want their marquee star on the White House card.

Rest of the card

In the featured bout, Waldo Cortes-Acosta made quick work of Derrick Lewis. Cortes-Acosta kept Lewis at bay, utilizing his jab and speed advantage.

Lewis could never get out of first gear, failing to get into range to land his knockout shots.

In the end, Cortes-Acosta caught Lewis with a counter right, and the fight was over.

With limited contenders in the Heavyweight division, Cortes-Acosta may be next in line for a shot at Heavyweight gold.

In the opening fight of the main card, Jean Silva defeated Arnold Allen in a thriller.

For both fighters, with Featherweight title aspirations, this was a must-win.

Silva was able to stay on the front foot throughout the fight, stalking Allen, pushing him to the fence, and landing left hooks to the body along with upper cuts.

Allen put up a commendable fight, but in the end, Silva was too much.

Silva now finds himself in title contention, and with one more victory, he may challenge for gold in 2026.

In the final prelim bout, Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Deiveson Figueiredo.

This was a lackluster fight, to say the least, one that left many fans wanting more.

For Nurmagomedov, entering as the heavy favorite, he needed a highlight finish to cement his status as the top contender for the title.

But what we got were three uneventful rounds of grappling mixed with hesitant striking.

Figueiredo looked like a shell of his former self, and the former Flyweight champion has serious questions to answer if he hopes to continue his career in the UFC.

For Nurmagomedov, the victory may not be enough, and coupled with O'Malley's entertaining contest, he may have to wait in line once again for a shot at Bantamweight supremacy.

This was the perfect way for the UFC to debut on Paramount+. If you enjoyed this breakdown, subscribe to our newsletter and tune in for our UFC 325 preview this week.