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The UFC is finally back for their first card of 2026 and the first card of their Paramount+ broadcast deal. It’s a good show, worth investing the time to watch it, with a main event that pits the aging slugger against the more youthful grappler. All the fights on the main portion are solid and should appeal to a wide range of fans—even without the Nunes-Harrison title bout. Now, let’s take a look at all the fights from the main card and the rest of the alternative stats.

UFC 324 Main Card

* Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett 155 lbs

* Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong 135 lbs

* Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis 265 lbs

* Natalia Silva vs. Rose Namajunas 125 lbs

* Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva 145 lbs

UFC 324 Alternative Facts

* Ranked Fights: 7

* Ranked Fighters: 15

* Fighters coming off losses: 7

* Contender Series Alumni: 8

* TUF Alumni: 3

* Road to UFC Alumni: 0

* Debut: 1

Make sure to tune in immediately after this Saturday’s fights for breakdowns and analysis on our 6th Round Post-Fight Show.

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On this episode of The Fighter and The Kid, the guys break down the dominance of Islam Makhachev and debate whether there’s actually a fighter who could beat him. From stylistic matchups and grappling pressure to championship experience and mental toughness, the conversation explores what it would really take to dethrone the lightweight king.

With comedian Nick Simmons in the third chair, the discussion mixes serious MMA analysis with classic TFATK banter, hypotheticals, and the kind of arguments fight fans love to have. A must-watch episode for anyone debating the future of the lightweight division. Get this episode and all future episodes AD FREE + 2 extended episodes, Fan Questions, exclusive behind the scenes content and more each month at https://www.patreon.com/tfatk

Stash - Don’t let your money sit around—put it to work with Stash. Go to http://get.stash.com/fighter to see how you can receive TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code FIGHTER. That's code FIGHTER to turn five bucks into three hundred in bonus bets if your bet wins.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

Progressive - Visit https://www.progressive.com/ after this episode to see if you could save.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of The Fighter and The Kid, the guys break down the dominance of Islam Makhachev and debate whether there’s actually a fighter who could beat him. From stylistic matchups and grappling pressure to championship experience and mental toughness, the conversation explores what it would really take to dethrone the lightweight king.

With comedian Nick Simmons in the third chair, the discussion mixes serious MMA analysis with classic TFATK banter, hypotheticals, and the kind of arguments fight fans love to have. A must-watch episode for anyone debating the future of the lightweight division. Get this episode and all future episodes AD FREE + 2 extended episodes, Fan Questions, exclusive behind the scenes content and more each month at https://www.patreon.com/tfatk

Stash - Don’t let your money sit around—put it to work with Stash. Go to http://get.stash.com/fighter to see how you can receive TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code FIGHTER. That's code FIGHTER to turn five bucks into three hundred in bonus bets if your bet wins.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

Progressive - Visit https://www.progressive.com/ after this episode to see if you could save.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of The Fighter and The Kid, the guys break down the dominance of Islam Makhachev and debate whether there’s actually a fighter who could beat him. From stylistic matchups and grappling pressure to championship experience and mental toughness, the conversation explores what it would really take to dethrone the lightweight king.

With comedian Nick Simmons in the third chair, the discussion mixes serious MMA analysis with classic TFATK banter, hypotheticals, and the kind of arguments fight fans love to have. A must-watch episode for anyone debating the future of the lightweight division. Get this episode and all future episodes AD FREE + 2 extended episodes, Fan Questions, exclusive behind the scenes content and more each month at https://www.patreon.com/tfatk

Stash - Don’t let your money sit around—put it to work with Stash. Go to http://get.stash.com/fighter to see how you can receive TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures.

DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code FIGHTER. That's code FIGHTER to turn five bucks into three hundred in bonus bets if your bet wins.

O'Reilly Auto Parts- https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTER

Progressive - Visit https://www.progressive.com/ after this episode to see if you could save.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a six-week wait for live UFC action, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are back and ready to dive in. On today’s episode, the guys break down UFC 324 from top to bottom — locking in three official picks each for their first predictions of the year and setting the tone for what promises to be a loaded night of fights for the first card of the Paramount era.

Then, former title challenger Alex Perez joins the show ahead of his Saturday matchup against surging flyweight Charles Johnson. Perez opens up about life outside the Octagon, fatherhood, navigating a tough stretch in his career, and why this fight feels like a pivotal opportunity to reassert himself in the men’s 125-pound division.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Giant show to start of the year. Shaun and Wes recapped their terrible picks for champs and breakout fighters in each weight division for 2025 and the threw out some terrible predictions for the same at the end of 2026. After that the guys previewed the first UFC event to start the Paramount+ era. Solid card, but nothing spectacular. Sign up for ToutMaster.

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Consensus Bets of the Week: