UFC is kicking off the Paramount+ era with a bang.
During halftime of the Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game on CBS, UFC president Dana White announced the main card for UFC 324 on Jan. 24 — the first major event to be streamed on Paramount+.
White previewed a jam-packed fight card, headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between No. 4 Justin Gaethje and No. 5 Paddy Pimblett.
The bout was made after reigning champion Ilia Topuria announced he’d be taking an extended leave from the Octagon to tend to a personal matter.
Gaethje (26–5, 20 KOs) has long been a staple of the lightweight division, burnishing a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters the sport has ever seen — a former interim champ and BMF champ. Paddy “The Baddy” (23–3, 7 KO, 10 SUB) is a burgeoning superstar who’s gone 7–0 in the UFC and is riding the momentum from an emphatic TKO victory over Michael Chandler in April.
Pimblett opens up as a -198 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the veteran Gaethje is listed as a +164 underdog.
