During Saturday night’s UFC 323 PPV card, the full lineup for UFC 324 was released and it shows quite a big surprise. Former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov has been pushed to the prelims, possibly highlighting the direction in which the UFC will go in the bantamweight division.
Current UFC 324 Main Card
The current lineup of the UFC 324 main card doesn’t feature Umar Nurmagomedov. With that being said, it doesn’t come as any great shock. The fight card is headlined by Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, a fight that has caused some controversy in the MMA realm.
The co-main event features the return of the GOAT, Amanda Nunes, as she comes out of retirement to clash with former teammate and current bantamweight queen, Kayla Harrison.
RETURN OF THE GOAT! 🐐
Amanda Nunes vs Kayla Harrison is gonna be epic! #UFC324 | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/9s6vJgcb48
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) December 6, 2025
Elsewhere, former bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley will meet Song Yadong in a fight that could determine the next challenger for Petr Yan’s title. Waldo Cortes-Acosta continues his busy schedule to compete for the sixth time within a year as he takes on the knockout king himself, Derrick Lewis.
Opening up the card is the always exciting, Jean Silva as he meets the well-rounded Brit, Arnold Allen.
Umar Nurmagomedov Left Out
With the new bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, already searching for his next opponent, all eyes will be on UFC 324 in order to determine who will be next for the Russian.
Whilst there is a chance that Merab Dvalishvili gets his trilogy bout with Yan with the score currently sat at 1-1, many believe that Merab will take some time out of the octagon after a hectic 2025 schedule.
With no clear contender at 135lbs, it’s up to the top contenders at UFC 324 to snatch the chance and it appears that the UFC is favouring O’Malley over Umar Nurmagomedov.
The main card is where statements are made in the UFC and with O’Malley featuring on the main card and Nurmagomedov on the prelims, it highlights who the UFC may favour.
Interestingly, it isn’t as if Nurmagomedov has an easy fight. The Russian will meet former flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo. The Brazilian 4-2 at bantamweight and is coming off a split decision win over Montel Jackson.
Other highlights of the UFC 324 prelims include: Rose Namajunas vs Natalia Silva, Nikita Krylov vs Modestas Bukauskas, Alex Perez vs Charles Johnson and Ateba Gautier returns against Andrey Pulyaev.
