Justin Gaethje beats Paddy Pimblett in epic main event (0:52)Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett go the distance in an incredible main event of UFC 324. (0:52)
The win over Yadong is O’Malley’s second victory in a month
Cortes-Acosta should have our attention, but not yet our confidence
Sean O’Malley returned to his winning ways against Song Yadong after nearly two years without an Octagon victory. The relief on O’Malley’s face after his arm was raised was clear, and with a familiar O’Malley foe back in control of the men’s bantamweight division, maybe a path back to the title picture is in view for “Suga.”
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim give their takeaways on those bouts and the performances of Natalia Silva and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who might also have championship opportunities in their futures.
Rumors of Gaethje’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Although Gaethje has openly discussed closing in on the final chapter of his excellent fighting career, “The Highlight” showed against Pimblett that he has gas left in the tank. After Gaethje lost by a brutal knockout to Max Holloway, the expectation was that his violent fighting style had finally caught up with him and taken too many years off his career.
While that might be true to a degree, it’s not quite over for Gaethje, who is now in line for a unification fight with Topuria, who is on a self-imposed hiatus from MMA.
He’ll likely be a significant underdog against Topuria, but that doesn’t take away from Gaethje’s exhilarating performance on a night that once again ended with gold wrapped around his waist. — Hale
O’Malley didn’t make the most emphatic championship statement, though. Neither did fellow contender Umar Nurmagomedov, who dominated former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo earlier in the card. Considering that Dvalishvili’s loss broke a 14-fight winning streak and was his fourth fight of 2025, the UFC would be wise to let him run it back with Yan while O’Malley and Nurmagomedov continue to marinate their candidacy. — Wagenheim
He deserves a ton of credit for this massive hot streak, and there are little nuances to his game that make him as dangerous as any heavyweight. But the way he defeated Ante Delija in November was strange and controversial, following an eye poke that initially looked like it was going to be a loss for Cortes-Acosta. And he is less than six months away from the loss to Sergei Pavlovich.
Cortes-Acosta has a lot going for himself. He’s one of the few legitimate heavyweight title contenders and is building momentum with his willingness to fight so frequently.
But with Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov and other contenders in his sights, Cortes-Acosta will be considered an underdog until he proves he can win at the top level. — Okamoto
Natalia Silva was not pleased with her UFC 324 performance, and the crowd at T-Mobile Arena booed the judges’ decision, but beating Rose Namajunas is a significant step forward for the 28-year-old.
For one thing, it ran Silva’s winning streak to 14 fights and made her 8-0 in the UFC. Adding significance, Namajunas was the third consecutive former UFC champion Silva has defeated after Jessica Andrade in 2024 and Alexa Grasso last year. That golden run could earn Silva a shot at the women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Timing is everything, and considering that the one flyweight ranked ahead of Silva, Manon Fiorot, lost to Shevchenko in May, it appears Silva has a clear path. If she does get to challenge the champion, Silva’s hit-and-move style could make the fight look much like Shevchenko’s dominant win over Fiorot. But if Silva has earned it, she should get the opportunity. — Wagenheim
Justin Gaethje beats Paddy Pimblett in epic main event (0:52)Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett go the distance in an incredible main event of UFC 324. (0:52)
Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett go the distance in an incredible main event of UFC 324. (0:52)