UFC 324 fight week is here. After a six-week hiatus for the holiday and winter break, the 2026 schedule is on. Two flagship shows in two weeks will kick off the itinerary for the new year, beginning this Saturday night in the promotion’s home base of Enterprise, NV.
T-Mobile Arena, the UFC’s de facto “home” venue, serves as the setting for the lid-lifter of the 43-event schedule in 2026 this weekend. After seven years, the UFC now has a new media home going into UFC 324, as well.
Saturday’s event will be the first in a seven-year rights deal with Paramount Plus. Effective with this card, UFC events will now begin at an earlier time. UFC 324’s early prelims will commence at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT on the streaming platform, followed at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT by the late prelims. Main card action caps the evening at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT.
UFC 324 Featured Prelim: No. 2 Contender Umar Nurmagomedov vs. No. 6 Contender Deiveson Figuereido
At the top of the bill on Saturday night’s prelims is a contest in the bantamweight division. No. 2 contender Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) squares off against No. 6 contender Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.
Nurmagomedov, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, enters the featured prelim on Saturday night having gone 4-1 in his last five fights dating back to January of 2023. Back in October, he returned to the win column thanks to a unanimous decision over Mario Bautista (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) during UFC 321 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2025 was a year of inactivity for the second-ranked bantamweight, having fought twice in roughly eight months in the old year. Nurmagomedov is hopeful that 2026 will bring about more action beginning with UFC 324 on Saturday night.
Across the way, Deiveson Figuereido comes into the UFC 324 undercard this weekend sporting a record of 3-2 in his last five treks to the Octagon. On Oct. 11, he scored a split decision after three rounds of action versus Montel Jackson (15-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in Rio de Janeiro.
UFC 324’s featured prelim is a crucial 15 minutes or less of action for both fighters on Saturday night. A victory for Figueiredo improves his odds for his next fight being a title bout.
UFC 324 Co-Featured Prelim; Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulayev
The co-featured undercard fight of UFC 324 this upcoming weekend is a battle in the middleweight division. Ateba Gautier (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) seeks to remain unbeaten in the promotion when he fights Andrey Pulayev (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC.)
Gautier comes into his fourth UFC appearance Saturday with a mark of 5-0 in his last five fights. An alumnus of the late Titan FC, he’s currently on an eight-fight winning streak.
Since joining the UFC’s active roster by way of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, he’s been known to complete his assignments in the fabled Octagon in expedient fashion. Out of a possible 45 minutes of Octagon time, Ateba Gautier has only needed a combined six minutes and 23 seconds to win his three contests.
Back on Oct. 4, he stopped Tre’Ston Vines (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with an elbow shot followed by ground strikes in one minute and 41 seconds in UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena. Don’t walk out of the room when Ateba Gautier steps into the cage on Saturday in UFC 324, because you may be missing the entirety of the fight.
Meanwhile, Andrey Pulyaev will be making the walk to the Octagon on the strength of a 4-1 record over his last five fights. Most recently, he secured his first promotional victory with a second-round knockout against Nick Klein (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) last August in the newly-renamed Meta Apex.
Can Pulyaev give Gautier his first UFC loss? Tune in and find out.
UFC 324: No. 13 Contender Nikita Krylov vs. Modestas Bukauskas
Also on the UFC 324 prelims this weekend is a light heavyweight tussle matching No. 13 contender Nikita Krylov (30-11 MMA, 11-9 UFC) with Modestas Bukauskas (19-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC.) Krylov will touch down in Nevada with a mark of 3-2 over his last five appearances.
He’s been a streaky fighter of late, dropping two contests in succession after getting his hand raised in victory three straight times. Six months ago, he was defeated by way of first-round knockout from Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Another loss by Krylov could mean he loses his spot in the top-15 at 205 lbs. Only time will tell, however, if this is to be the case.
In the other corner, Modestas Bukauskas fights this weekend with a 4-1 record in his last five encounters. At the moment, he’s won four contests in succession.
On the first Saturday of September, he scored a first-round knockout with an elbow from top mount to finish Paul Craig (17-10-1, 1 NC MMA, 9-10-1, 1 NC UFC.) Craig retired from MMA after the contest.
If Bukauskas is able to deliver another electrifying performance in UFC 324, he might have a number next to his name when the new work week starts on Monday morning.
Rest of the Prelims:
The UFC 324 undercard is rounded out by these fights:
- a flyweight fight versing No. 11 contender Alex Perez (25-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) with No. 13 contender Charles Johnson (18-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC,)
- a lightweight contest between Michael Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-15 UFC) and Alexander Hernandez (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC,)
- a heavyweight showdown pairing Josh Hokit (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) against Denzel Freeman (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC,)
- a bantamweight bout matching Ricky Turcios (12-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with Cameron Smotherman (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC,)
- and a welterweight affair versing Ty Miller (6-0 MMA, UFC debut) with Adam Fugitt (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC.)
Which prelim or prelims are you looking forward to on UFC 324? Let us know in the comments.
