Overview
- Dana White confirmed UFC 324 on January 24 in Las Vegas headlined by Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight belt and UFC 325 on January 31 in Sydney featuring Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2.
- An interim title was created after champion Ilia Topuria announced a personal hiatus, with the UFC indicating the interim winner will unify with Topuria in 2026.
- Fans and fighters voiced strong objections, including boycott calls and posts from Arman Tsarukyan (“make it make sense”), while Lerone Murphy, Movsar Evloev and Aljamain Sterling questioned why they were bypassed.
- Paddy Pimblett taunted Tsarukyan and laid out plans to win interim gold and pursue Topuria next, Justin Gaethje welcomed Pimblett as a “perfect dance partner,” and Diego Lopes told critics to stop “whining” on social media.
- Volkanovski said Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy were more deserving but that the UFC “really wanted Lopes,” a choice commentators linked to an entertainment-first push as the promotion leaves its traditional pay-per-view model for Paramount+.