Dana White Talks UFC 324, First Event With Paramount+, Referee’s Injury & More

Justin Gaethje has the belt strapped on his waist by UFC CEO and President Dana White following the UFC lightweight interim championship bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC CEO Dana White Fielded Questions From The Media immediately After UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett At T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas

By Simon Head, on X: @simonheadsport • Jan. 25, 2026

UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett kicked off a new chapter for UFC as the first event of the Paramount+ era got underway in spectacular fashion at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After an action-packed night of fights, UFC President and CEO Dana White fielded questions from the assembled media at the post-fight press conference, where he covered a range of topics, from the night’s big winners, to the UFC’s new post-fight bonus system, to the start of the Paramount+ era, to the unfortunate injury sustained by referee Mark Smith during the event.

Working with the ‘enthusiastic and incredible’ Paramount+ team

White commented on the performance of the first UFC show on Paramount+, and said the early indications were that the numbers surpassed their new broadcast partner’s expectations.

Dana White Post-Fight Press Conference | UFC 324

“I just talked to Ari (Emanuel, Executive Chairman, TKO Group Holdings). He said we'll have numbers on Tuesday or Wednesday, but this exceeded expectations beyond belief for Paramount. So we know it killed it. We just don't know the exact number yet. They’re saying it exceeded (their expectations) by double.

“It’s unexplainable how enthusiastic and incredible these guys (at Paramount+) have been leading up to the first fight. So yeah, we got a real good feeling that this is going to be a great relationship for the next seven years.”

Praising Pimblett’s chin and Gaethje’s toughness

Answering a question about the main event, White admitted he was impressed with Pimblett’s ability to take so many thunderous shots from Gaethje and still keep coming forward. And he also revealed that, while Pimblett was transported to the hospital immediately after the fight, Gaethje insisted that he’s still in great shape, despite the chaotic 25 minutes that had just played out inside the Octagon.

UFC 324 REWIND: Main Card Results | Prelim Results | Scorecards | Bonus Winners

“I didn't know Paddy Pimblett had a chin like that till tonight,” said White.

Justin Gaethje of the United States (L) and Paddy Pimblett of England exchange punches during their interim lightweight title bout in UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

“And, yeah, an absolute dogfight and a war. And much respect to both guys.

“Apparently, (Gaethje is) 100 percent. So, we sent Paddy Pimblett straight to the hospital, and we were going to send Gaethje, too. And Gaethje’s like, ‘Believe me, I’ve been in plenty of wars. I’m good.’ So, as far as we know right now, he’s healthy.”

White unsure of Pimblett’s in-fight tactics

While White was impressed with Pimblett’s grit and determination as he pushed Gaethje all the way to the scorecards, the UFC boss did admit that he was surprised not to see the Liverpudlian switch up his gameplan and use his grappling more often in the fight.

“I don't think that his gameplan was the greatest,” White admitted.

“Obviously, tonight he showed he is tough, he is durable, and especially against Gaethje, and you're eating those punches from him. It's one thing to say, ‘Listen, I'm going to come out, I believe in my durability, I believe in my chin, and I'm going to go toe to toe with this guy.’ But when it starts to not work, at some point, you’ve got to say, ‘You know what? It's the third round. I got two rounds left. I might want to try to take him down and submit him here.’”

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Early thoughts on a potential Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje unification bout

White also gave a quick view on the potential fight that could transpire between undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and newly-crowned interim champ Gaethje.

“It's going to be interesting. I think that Ilia hits like a truck, and so does Gaethje. And I think if Gaethje prepares properly and gets ready for this fight, it should be a fun one.”

Explaining the changes to the UFC post-fight bonuses

There were plenty of headlines ahead of fight night regarding the news of the new performance bonus structure, with Performance and Fight of the Night winners each earning $100,000, while any other fighter who scores a finish gets a $25,000 bonus.

White explained the change in approach and said that the finish bonuses effectively replaced the discretionary behind-the-scenes bonuses awarded to fighters.

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“So, what has been happening forever in this company, since we started this company, is every night I would tell you guys, ‘Oh, these guys won these bonuses,’ but everybody on the card would get a check for different dollar amounts depending on how they fought, ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000, every event.

“So, those are going away, and now finishes will get a $25,000 bonus.”

Waldo Cortes Acosta Post-Fight Interview | UFC 324

A ‘bright future’ for ‘Salsa Boy’

Waldo Cortes-Acosta impressed again with a second-round TKO of Derrick Lewis, and White said that “Salsa Boy’s” can-do attitude and willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, any time makes him a valuable presence at the top end of the heavyweight rankings.

POST-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Sean O'Malley | Waldo Cortes Acosta | Natalia Silva | Jean Silva

“The fact this guy always wants to fight, take last minute fights, got poked in the eye and comes back out and keeps fighting. Yeah, I think that he's got a bright future,” he said.

Dominick Cruz’s Hall of Fame announcement

Before the main card got underway, it was announced that former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz would be inducted into the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.

Dominick Cruz | UFC Hall Of Fame Class Of 2026

White paid tribute to Cruz and said that his experience at the highest levels of the sport has been a valuable addition to the UFC’s broadcast team since his retirement from the sport.

“Obviously (he’s) great. That's why he's part of the broadcast,” said White.

“He's accomplished a lot of great things. I love having guys on the commentary team that can talk about the pressure of big fights, what it's like to be in title fights. You know guys that know it, and you know Dom is definitely one of those guys who helped build that division for us when we brought it in from the WEC.”

Recapping referee’s unfortunate injury

White also revealed that referee Mark Smith had to be carried out of the arena after he injured his ACL while officiating the middleweight bout between Ateba Gautier and Andrey Pulayev.

“Nobody's asked me about the ref blowing his ACL during the fight!

“(It was the) ACL, yeah. (Bruce) Buffer is the only one I’ve ever seen blowing an ACL that wasn’t fighting.

“I don’t know what the time was, but yeah, (Smith) blew his (knee). They had to carry him out of there.”

A general view of the Octagon during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)

What the first event of the Paramount+ era means to him

While UFC 324 marked the start of a new era for UFC with Paramount+, White admitted that he won’t take time to assess what it all means to him personally until he’s completed the first year of the partnership and seen the progress he wants to make.

“It'll mean something to me at the end of ’26,” he said.

“I don't think like that. Like, ‘Wow, this is a special day for me!’ I just don't think that way. The way that I think is, we're going into a new deal. We got a lot of work to do, especially on the boxing side.

“After Christmas, I usually go away on the 26th every year, and I'm gone for 10 days, and that's when I start to think about how the year was and and what we're going to do in ’27. So, at the end of the year, I'll start thinking about that stuff, depending on where we are.”