Outside Source
After several weeks off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off its 2026 slate with its first Paramount+ card, which is now official following the UFC 324 weigh-ins.
Headlining the monumental card is an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, who will battle to become the No. 1 contender for champion Ilia Topuria. Both men had no issue making weight, coming in under the 155-pound championship limit. However, not all of the other fighters were as professional as there was quite a bit of drama on the scales.
The biggest issue at the UFC 324 weigh-ins was bantamweight Cameron Smotherman collapsing on the stage after successfully weighing in at 135.5 pounds. His fight against Ricky Turcios is off as a result. Additionally, Deiveson Figueiredo and Alex Perez were both 2.5 pounds overweight for their respective fights. They’ll both be fined 25% of their respective purses.
Already a former interim titleholder, Gaethje (26-5) won the belt in 2020 by knocking out Tony Ferguson. Since then, “The Highlight” fell short in bids for the undisputed title against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Wins over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier have shown that he’s still dangerous, while his most iconic fight was a last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300. Gaethje weighed 155 pounds for what could be the 37-year-old’s last chance to hold championship gold.
Meanwhile, this is the biggest fight in the career of Pimblett (23-3). “The Baddy” is undefeated since joining the UFC, winning seven straight fights. While a controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon left fans skeptical of his ceiling, the English fighter has since dominated Ferguson, submitted Bobby Green and knocked out Michael Chandler. The 31-year-old officially stepped on the scale at 154 pounds on the dot.
UFC 324 will air in its entirety on Paramount+ on Saturday. Prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, while the main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
UFC 324 Weigh-in Results:
Justin Gaethje (155) vs. Paddy Pimblett (154)
Sean O’Malley (135.5) vs. Yadong Song (136)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (262) vs. Derrick Lewis (263.5)
Rose Namajunas (125.5) vs. Natalia Silva (126)
Arnold Allen (145.5) vs. Jean Silva (146)
Deiveson Figueiredo (138.5)* vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (136)
Ateba Abega Gautier (186) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (186)
Modestas Bukauskas (204) vs. Nikita Krylov (205.5)
Charles Johnson (126) vs. Alex Perez (128.5)**
Alexander Hernandez (155.5) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
Denzel Freeman (257.5) vs. Josh Hokit (234.5)
Cameron Smotherman (135.5)* vs. Ricky Turcios (136)
Adam Fugitt (171) vs. Ty Cole Miller (170)
* Figueiredo missed weight by 2.5 pounds and has been fined 25% of his purse.
** Perez missed weight by 2.5 pounds and has been fined 25% of his purse.
*** Smotherman collapsed after weighing in and the fight has been canceled.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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