UFC 324 Prelim Fight Card Picks & Predictions for Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett

A former UFC champion and former title challenger get the honors of fighting in the first featured prelim of 2026, and the winner should be squarely in the mix for another shot at championship glory. The current betting line on this fight is outrageous, but Nurmagomedov should still get his hand raised.

(Pick: Nurmagomedov)

Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev

Gautier firmly established himself as a rising star last year, and it seems pretty clear that the UFC is trying to set “The Silent Assassin” up for another finish with this matchup against Pulyaev.

(Pick: Gautier)

Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas

Bukauskas isn’t quite the same kind of one-punch knockout threat that Krylov faced in his two previous outings, but he does pack enough power to put the Ukrainian in serious trouble after he was knocked out twice last year.

(Pick: Bukauskas)

Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson

This is probably the most underrated fight on this card, especially with perennial top contender Perez coming in off back-to-back losses to put him at 1-5 dating back to 2020. The 33-year-old has only lost to the best that the UFC flyweight division has to offer, and I’m going to slightly lean with him to get back on track against Johnson

(Pick: Perez)

Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez

I’m tempted to pick Johnson here after he scored a significant upset over Daniel Zellhuber in his last outing, but Hernandez has been on an impressive run since moving back to the lightweight division.

(Pick: Hernandez)

Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman

Hokit is another fighter on this card that the UFC seems interested in putting its promotional muscle behind. Freeman did beat the formerly-undefeated Marek Bujlo in his own UFC debut, but I expect that “The Incredible Hok” will get things done here.

(Pick: Hokit)

Ricky Turcios vs. Cameron Smotherman

Both of these men could see their respective UFC careers end if they suffer a third-straight loss here, and I think Smotherman will be able to snap his losing run against Turcios and even out his Octagon record in the process.

(Pick: Smotherman)

Ty Miller vs. Adam Fugitt

It may just be because I don’t love how heavy a favorite Miller is heading into his UFC debut, but I’m picking Fugitt to continue his trend of alternating wins and losses in the UFC after he was knocked out by Islam Dulatov in his only outing last year.

(Pick: Fugitt)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC 324 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for main card predictions as well as live results and highlights on fight night.