From the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, NV, UFC 324 seeks to begin a fruitful and fantastic new era for the promotion as the first card to be streamed courtesy of the UFC’s new broadcast partner, Paramount Plus. Featuring a star-studded lineup of some of the cream of the crop in all of mixed martial arts, fans will no doubt be treated to a night of superb matches as fighters aim to kick off their 2026 campaigns with a bang.
For many of the favorites of UFC 324, they will have the opportunity to showcase their talents as they continue to embark on their rise toward the tops of their respective divisions. Big names like Umar Nurmagomedov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta in particular stand as giants in the odds department over their opposition, meaning victory appears to be a surefire outcome for the ranked contenders.
However, there exists a few fighters at UFC 324 that, despite the level of their adversaries, are by no means outmatched in terms of abilities or experience. That is why no one should be completely perplexed when these athletes flip the script and come out on top with their heads held high.
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These are three of the biggest UFC 324 underdogs to watch out for:
UFC 324 Underdogs: Derrick Lewis
Known all over the world for his string of violent knockouts ahead of UFC 324, Derrick Lewis holds the frightening distinction of possessing the most knockouts in UFC history, along with the third-most finishes in the promotion’s history at 16. For over a decade, the Louisiana native has thrilled audiences with his proficiency for starching top contenders in the most electrifying ways possible. In his first assignment of the year at UFC 324, he will come to blows with easily the most active member of the heavyweight upper echelon: Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
2025 proved to be a very productive year for Cortes-Acosta, with the Dominican Republican logging a whopping five fights from March to November. He even tried to get a sixth bout booked in December on the last pay-per-view card ever for the company, UFC 323, however a placement at that event never materialized. Going 4-1 over the course of the year, “Salsa Boy” made an emphatic climb up the 265-lb rankings, finishing at No. 5 in the division, with his only loss coming against Russian power-puncher Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Fight Night 257.
Given his age and his low-level of cage activity compared to his opponent, there really is no telling just what kind of version of Lewis will step foot into the T-Mobile Arena come the end of January at UFC 324, but there is still one mammoth advantage that he holds that always makes him dangerous at every stage of a bout: his sheer level of strength.
With just a single punch, many massive favorites have had their lights smashed out entirely by Lewis. The best example of this came just last July at UFC on ESPN 70, where the American floored the undefeated Tallison Teixeira in just 35 seconds to net a monumental upset win.
UFC 324 Underdogs: Denzel Freeman
Making a successful organizational debut at UFC Fight Night 265 this past November, Denzel Freeman trounced the unbeaten Marek Bujło, taking home a splendid unanimous decision. Wasting little time in getting back into action after the holiday season, the Georgia native will attempt to secure his second Octagon victory in a highly anticipated preliminary contest against Dana White’s Contender Series standout Josh Hokit at UFC 324.
Following an unsuccessful attempt at starting a professional football career, Hokit made his way into mixed martial arts in 2023, taking his first match at the blockbuster Bellator 300, choking out his opponent in the third round. Competing once more in the promotion, the former All-American wrestler embarked on a three-fight run under the LFA banner, logging three first round knockouts.
This string of success in mainly high-profile companies led to Hokit being invited to compete on Contender Series in late 2025, scoring a UFC contract with both a thrilling second round stoppage and one of the more entertaining post-fight interviews in recent memory. He then booked his debut at UFC Vegas 111 three months later, securing another triumph in 56 seconds after knocking out Max Gimenis.
At the outset, it appears that Freeman has encountered easily the biggest test of his professional tenure in the streaking Hokit, with the Californian possessing a solid leg up on him in both the wrestling and boxing departments. Still, though, “Luke Fox” isn’t necessarily outdone as far as experience goes, as he actually has one more fight under his belt than his foe. He also has dealt with elite-level opposition as well, notably being the last defeat of fan-favorite fighter Steven Asplund, facing him in LFA back in 2024, an organization that Freeman had previously snagged heavyweight gold in.
UFC 324 Underdogs: Rose Namajunas
With the women’s flyweight title still firmly in her eyes, Rose Namajunas takes to the biggest stage in all of mixed martial arts once more after a dominant showing against Miranda Maverick last summer at UFC on ESPN 69. For her sixth appearance at 125-lb, the former strawweight champion meets up with divisional juggernaut Natália Silva.
At just 28 years of age, and currently in the midst of a huge 13-bout win streak, Silva has blossomed as one of the best fighters in the world in her weight class. Since joining the UFC in 2022, the Brazilian has bested a handful of other top names such as Jasmine Jasudavicius, Jéssica Andrade and most recently previous flyweight queen Alexa Grasso. Having not lost a contest since 2017, the Team Borracha product has risen to be viewed as a legitimate threat to long-time European powerhouse Valentina Shevchenko.
While she does stand amongst the largest UFC 324 underdogs, Namajunas boasts a clear experience gap between her and Silva, as “Thug” fought in a total of seven championship tilts during her time with the company. This body of work has translated into career-defining victories over a handful of the greatest female combat sports athletes ever like Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Natália Silva. Though it’s true Silva brings to the table a fierce striking style that will undoubtedly keep the American on her toes, Namajunas’s veteran skillset has the chance to make their confrontation a very tight battle.
