Featured Image: UFC 324 Poster (Photo Credit / UFC)

After a six-week break from the last event, the UFC is back to not only kick off a new calendar, but a new era for the sport as a whole. 

After signing with Paramount last August for nearly $8 billion, Paramount+ is the new home for all things UFC. Many fans celebrated this due to the constant raising prices of PPV events. 

UFC 324 went through many changes before getting to the final card, starting with the original main event, Harrison vs. Nunes for the Women’s Bantamweight title. After Kayla Harrison submitted Juliana Pena to become the division’s new champion, Amanda Nunes would come into the octagon, giving viewers one of the most anticipated  stare downs in recent MMA history. However, Harrison would injure her neck in training camp, forcing her to pull out of the fight a few weeks before the scheduled date. 

UFC 324 PPREDICTIONS

Early Prelims:

Miller def. Fugitt

Turcios def. Smotherman

Hokit def. Freeman

Hernandez def. Johnson

Preliminary Card:

Gautier vs. Pulyaev:

Ateba Gautier is currently on a four-fight win streak with all but one ending in first round Knockout/Technical Knockout (KO/TKO). He has become one of the most feared middleweight prospects at the age of 23. 

Andrey Pulyaev is coming off a KO/TKO win in his last fight. He is a solid boxer with decent grappling and wrestling.

Prediction: Gaurier via 1st Round KO/TKO.

Nurmagomedov vs. Figueiredo:

Umar Nurmagomedov is touted as an easily top-five fighter within the division. He recently won over Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista, along with putting up one of the best performances anyone has against former champion Merab Dvalishvili (this bout would end in a unanimous decision loss).

Deiveson Figueiredo is entering his ninth year in the UFC, starting in the Flyweight division. He would go on to win the belt and defend it numerous times in fights that many consider all-time classics. However, after losing to Brandon Morano in Jan. of 2023, he would move up to the bantamweight division. He would start with a record of 3-0, but in recent years, he has not been performing the same way. This fight against Nurmagomedov may be his last chance to make a title push before his retirement. 

Prediction: Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision.

Other Preliminary fights:

Bukauskas def. Krylov

Johnson def. Prez 

Main Card: 

Allen vs. Silva

Arnold Allen has been in the featherweight ranks for a while, but has never been able to break into real title contender conversations. He is coming off a win over Giga Chikadze. This was a good showing and a great bounce back after two losses to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev, who are both title contenders. 

Jean Silva is a member of the Fighting Nerds gym/team. In recent years, they have been making their mark on the UFC in multiple divisions. Silva’s last bout against Diego Lopes, which many viewed as a number one contender fight. Silva would end up losing, but this fight gives him the opportunity to show what he has learned from the loss.

Prediction: Silva via submission.

Silva vs. Namajunas

Natalia Silva is on an impressive six fight win streak since joining the UFC in 2022. She has a few notable victories against fighters such as Jessica Andrade and Alexa Grasso, both being former champions. She looks to make her claim for a title shot with a win this weekend. 

Rose Namajunas has not looked her best since moving up to flyweight. She has not been able to string more than two wins in a row. She hopes to start a win streak with a win this weekend. 

 Prediction: Silva via unanimous decision.

Cortes-Acosta vs. Lewis

Waldo Cortes-Acosta has slowly been rising up the ranks in a less-than-great heavyweight division. He poses a huge threat on his feet with abilty to KO anyone who steps in front of him. However, he is known to tire out in the later rounds of his fights. With a win over Lewis, he will be on a three-fight win streak and be in contention for a top spot in the division.

Derrick Lewis is a fan favorite and is loved for his charisma when it comes to his post fight interviews, but when it comes to fighting, outside of his one punch KO ability, he does not bring much to the table. He is a below average grapppler and very susceptible to takedowns, and to pair with all this, he does not have good stamina. However, he always finds a way to win when the odds are against him. In recent fights, he has been coming in way more prepared and in better shape. 

Prediction: Lewis via KO/TKO

O’Malley vs. Yadong

Sean O’Malley is coming off two losses to Mareb Dvalishvili; they were some of his worst fights since entering the UFC. O’Malley hopes to bounce back and get into the win column. He will get the opportunity to show off his striking against another fighter with good boxing. 

Song Yadong has been consistent since entering the UFC: never rising to the top names of the bantamweight division, but always remaining in the tier below. He is a very good striker and has a decent submission game. However, when he does fight the guys in the tier above, he always falls just short of getting the victory. This is Yadong’s chance to show that he deserves to be in the upper echelon of the bantamweight division. 

Prediction: O’Malley via split decision 

Gaethje vs. Pimblett

Justin Gaethje is the epitome of taking a hit to give a hit. He will drop his guard to power up his hits in order to hit his opponent. In his recent fights, he has shown improvements in his ability to block and take less damage, but he is still prone to taking a few punches a fight. He was on the wrong side of a highlight KO against Max Holloway at UFC 300, but he would manage to bounce back and win a good fight against Rafael Fiziev. 

Paddy Pimblett has been on a mission since joining the UFC, winning seven fights in a row. His fight against Jared Gordon ended with many people believing that he lost the fight. He did not put up his best performance, but he walked away with a victory. He would win his next three fights convincingly, leading him to call for a title shot. With the current lightweight title holder dealing with personal issues, management called for a interim title until Ilia Topuria could defend again. 

Prediction: Pimblett via submission