Announcements
Dana White Announces First Key Bouts For 2026
UFC 324 To Feature Gaethje vs Pimblett, Harrison vs Nunes. UFC 325 Returns To Sydney.
UFC CEO Dana White gave fight fans a lot to be thankful for today when he went live on Instagram to announce the first slate of fights for 2026, featuring some truly incredible matchups that point to a blockbuster year ahead.
Both Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett have made no secret of their desire to be the next to face lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, and on January 24 at T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, they’ll square off against one another for exactly that distinction. UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett will be a battle for the interim lightweight belt and ultimately determine the next man to face Topuria.
The co-main event will feature the long-awaited showdown for the women’s bantamweight title. Champion Kayla Harrison will meet former champ Amanda Nunes in a clash of former teammates that have been in each other’s crosshairs for some time. The bout will mark the first for Nunes—long considered the women’s MMA GOAT—since her retirement in 2023.
Former bantamweight champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley will also be featured on the main card, taking on longtime contender No. 5-ranked Song Yadong as both men make their case to get into the title conversation. Two more former champions—Alexa Grasso and Rose Namajunas—bring their distinct brand of electricity to the main card in a high-stakes women’s flyweight bout. Elite ranked featherweights Arnold Allen and Jean Silva ensure some further fireworks in Vegas, as does the heavyweight pairing of No. 8 Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis with the No. 5 Waldo Cortes Acosta. Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo rounded out the UFC 324 announcements.
Join Us In Sydney For UFC 325? Register Your Interest Here.
As if that weren’t enough, White continued his bevy of fight announcements with the news the next numbered event—UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2—will follow just one week after UFC 324. January 31, 2026 will see the promotion’s return to Sydney Olympic Park in New South Wales, Australia, headlined by featherweight champion and future hall of famer Alexander Volkanovski, as he defends his belt in a rematch with Diego Lopes. Volkanovski won their first outing at UFC 314, and he’ll look to do the same on his home soil vs a determined Lopes who was last seen finishing Jean Silva in the main event of 2025’s Noche UFC last September.
UFC 324 and UFC 325 will mark the first UFC live events to stream on Paramount+, the promotion’s new broadcast partner in the United States, Latin America and Australia.