UFC 324 Salaries For Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje and Sean O’Malley

The UFC opened its new ‘Paramount era’ on Saturday night as UFC 324 took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event was the first in the company’s new $7.7 billion streaming deal with Paramount+ and a return to action after a six-week break.

In the co-main event, Sean O’Malley returned to action against Song Yadong in a contender fight at bantamweight, while in the headline bout, Paddy Pimblett took on Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.

Below is a look at the action in the main fights, alongside the salaries for selected fighters on the card.

Justin Gaethje Defeats Paddy Pimblett in All-Out War

Going into UFC 324, lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett was undefeated in his seven fights in the promotion. His most recent bout was a dismantling of perennial contender Michael Chandler, and the Scouser’s youth and success in his bouts with the company so far left him a favourite to claim gold on Saturday night.

However, Gaethje proved too much for the Liverpudlian. With a wealth of experience against the best at lightweight, he proved that doubts about his age were unfounded as he immediately pulled away in the bout.

The first round was competitive, but ‘The Highlight’ found his mark as he managed to drop Pimblett with an uppercut in the midst of his relentless pressure. The Scouser recovered well though and managed to land on Gaethje himself, finding success with his knees and leg kicks.

In the second round, Gaethje’s pressure continued and the Scouser often found himself pushed back against the cage. The American then floored Pimblett with a knee from the front headlock position before scoring another knockdown with a right hand against the fence. Paddy ended the round on his back, with Gaethje landing some heavy ground and pound. After a review, it was found that Gaethje landed an illegal eyepoke in this final sequence that proved pivotal to the knockdown, but referee Marc Goddard unfortunately missed this foul.

Leaving the corner in the third round, Pimblett adjusted his game plan and appeared revitalised. He used his footwork to stay in the centre of the cage and keep away from the fence when possible, allowing him to deal with Gaethje’s pressure more successfully. The rest of the fight was more even than the opening rounds, with both fighters weathering a storm of strikes and being hurt back and forth.

However, Gaethje negated Pimblett’s wrestling where necessary and was successful with his counters and pressure, comfortably winning on all judges’ scorecards 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46.

Defying the odds and comfortably beating the younger contender, Gaethje now likely faces the undefeated champion Ilia Topuria in his next bout to unify the belts at lightweight. Reacting to the bout, Topuria tweeted that ‘all I can say is congratulations… and I’d like to tell you to get ready, but you’re screwed no matter what.’

Sean O’Malley Back to Winning Ways Against Song Yadong

The co-main event at UFC 324 saw former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley return to action against contender Song Yadong in his first fight since back-to-back losses against fellow former champion Merab Dvalishvili. After claiming the belt against O’Malley, the latter went on to have a dominating title reign before losing it to current champion Petr Yan at UFC 323, the final pay-per-view event of 2025 and the company’s history.

Looking to get back to winning ways, O’Malley fought in his familiar fluid style, finding success in the first round by staying on the outside and using his range to counter Yadong and attack his body. However, his opponent landed leg kicks and ended the round with a successful takedown, ending the round on top of him.

The second round saw Yadong find more success in the grappling, landing multiple takedowns and using the threat of the grappling to have moments of success with his hands.

The third round was the best for the former champion, landing some big straight left and right hands on his opponent as he advanced, constantly switching stances to keep his attacks varied and hard to predict. O’Malley managed to find his range and pick Yadong apart in the closing moments of the fight, allowing him to secure a very close win over a strong opponent and finally return to the win column with a unanimous 29-28 win.

In his post-fight speech, O’Malley called for a shot at the belt against old opponent Petr Yan. However, he was respectful to rival Merab Dvalishvili and said that he understood if the latter got a shot at the bantamweight belt first in light of his long reign as champion.

UFC 324 Fighter Earnings

The main event winner and long-tenured UFC veteran, Justin Gaethje, fittingly took home the most money on the night; his $2,892,000 payout almost double that of his more junior opponent. Pimblett still had a successful night, however, taking home a cool $1,532,000; that more than covered the $150,000 he spent on tickets to the event.

The former champion O’Malley also doubled his opponent’s purse; his $1,021,000 purse was very strong, but a touch diminished from his days as champion.

What Next For UFC

The UFC does not stop its momentum in the new Paramount+ era as we immediately enter another fight week. This Saturday, the 1st of February, will see featherweight champion and fan-favourite Alexander Volkanovski take on Diego Lopes in a rematch for the belt, with two huge lightweight clashes taking place beforehand as favourites such as Dan Hooker and Mauricio Ruffy return to the Octagon.

It also sees the return of rising lightweight star Quillan Salkilld, as he returns to the cage against fellow Australian Jamie Mullarkey after his huge KO on Nasrat Haqparast in his last outing.