Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett: Referee and judges named for UFC 324 interim title fight

The first UFC title fight of 2026 takes place this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ilia Topuria plans to fight again between April and June after taking some time off to deal with personal issues before getting his career back on track.

‘El Matador’ won the lightweight gold at UFC 317 last June and is yet to defend his belt, resulting in the promotion putting an interim title up for grabs.

Topuria’s return will likely see him face Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett in a title unification bout that is sure to be one of the biggest matchups of the year.

Before then, more details have been revealed ahead of the start of the leading MMA promotion’s new era on Paramount+.

Judges and referee announced for the main event of UFC 324

Many of his fellow fighters are picking Justin Gaethje to become a two-time interim lightweight champion on January 24.

‘The Highlight’ comes into this bout knowing that it will likely be his last opportunity to earn a shot at the undisputed belt after falling short on two previous occasions.

As for his opponent, Paddy Pimblett’s rise to the top has been criticized ever since he instantly emerged as one of the roster’s most exciting stars when he debuted in 2021.

The Nevada Athletic Commission announced on fight week that the third man inside the Octagon for the first title fight of 2026 will be veteran referee Marc Goddard.

While both Gaethje and Pimblett have proven to be very effective finishers in their UFC careers, three judges will be on hand to score the bout at the T-Mobile Arena.

Mike Bell, Derek Cleary, and Sal D’Amato will all be cage-side should the main event go the distance.

Paddy Pimblett’s most controversial UFC win came via the scorecards in Las Vegas

Despite having 14 UFC bouts to his name, Justin Gaethje hasn’t had any controversial wins or losses inside the Octagon.

His majority decision win over Rafael Fiziev in their first encounter is perhaps the only one that would be up for debate due to his all-action style often leading to a clear outcome.

Paddy Pimblett, on the other hand, has a UFC win that was heavily criticized due to the judging of his matchup at UFC 282 in Las Vegas.

Pimblett admitted that he was lucky to beat Jared Gordon in 2022 after winning a unanimous decision.

Despite this fight and his next one both taking place at the T-Mobile Arena, the main event of UFC 324 doesn’t feature any of the judges that were involved in his win over Gordon.