What time is Paddy Pimblett fight tonight? Justin Gaethje clash headlines UFC 324

It is another major career step for the Liverpool favourite known as ‘Paddy the Baddy’, as he challenges for the UFC’s interim lightweight title on the biggest stage in Las Vegas.

Pimblett’s stock has continued to rise since he aced what was expected to be by far his sternest test in the octagon to date at UFC 314 in Miami last April, dominating a bloodied Michael Chandler and delivering a vicious third-round knockout of the former three-time Bellator champion.

That signature victory sent an emphatic message through the division and boosted his already lofty standing, taking him to No5 in the UFC’s lightweight rankings.

Topuria’s continued absence has led to the need for an interim champion at 155lbs, who will be crowned as the headline act of the UFC’s first event under their new seven-year broadcast deal with Paramount+ said to be worth £5.7billion.

The decision to put Pimblett up against the No4-ranked Gaethje has not been well received by some, most notably Arman Tsarukyan, who has been controversially overlooked despite sitting at the top of the rankings. Oliveira and Max Holloway are at second and third respectively as things stand.

It is another marquee UFC name that Pimblett – unbeaten in the promotion in seven fights since debuting in 2021 – will hope to add to his list of wins, though Gaethje is not quite the formidable force of old at 37 having lost the symbolic UFC ‘BMF’ title with a last-gasp knockout by Holloway at UFC 300 before bouncing back with a second decision win over Rafael Fiziev last March.

‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley is in the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena as he looks to quickly get back into bantamweight title contention after back-to-back defeats by Merab Dvalishvili, facing China’s Song Yadong.

MMA icon Amanda Nunes was due to make her high-profile return to the UFC this weekend two-and-a-half years after retiring, though her meeting with Kayla Harrison had to be postponed after the women’s bantamweight champion underwent neck surgery earlier this month.