Top Five UFC Fights To Look Forward To In January

Justin Gaethje v Paddy Pimblett

Sunday, 25 January SA time

There’s only one UFC card this month, but it’s a banger headlined by two title fights.

Going down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 324 is the promotion’s first event on Paramount+ and will crown a new interim lightweight champion in the main event.

With 155-pound king Ilia Topuria taking time off for personal reasons, veteran knockout artist Gaethje and charismatic grappler Pimblett will battle it out for the interim belt.

Gaethje, who won the same title back at UFC 249, has been a staple in the lightweight elite for years and bounced back from a knockout loss to BMF champion Max Holloway with a decision win over Rafael Fiziev last March.

Pimblett proved he’s the real deal when he pummelled Michael Chandler last April. Unbeaten in the UFC, he now faces the toughest test of his career in a thrilling clash of styles. 

Kayla Harrison v Amanda Nunes

Sunday, 25 January SA time

In the co-main event, we have ourselves a dream match as Harrison defends her bantamweight belt against a returning Nunes.

Harrison has evolved from a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning judoka into a muscle-bound mixed martial arts juggernaut and captured the bantamweight title with a submission victory over Julianna Pena last June.

Nunes is the undisputed greatest female fighter in history and is coming out of retirement to reclaim what she feels is hers. “The Lioness” went out on top as a double champion two and a half years ago, but has regained her fire and seeks to make a statement in this superfight.

Sean O’Malley v Song Yadong

Sunday, 25 January SA time

Two of the best strikers in the bantamweight division, O’Malley and Yadong will put on a show in their high-stakes showdown.

Former champion O’Malley is out to get back on track after suffering back-to-back defeats to Merab Dvalishvili, with the Georgian dethroning him and going on to win the rematch last June.

Yadong has won three of his last four fights, including a victory Hall of Famer Henry Cejudo in his only fight of 2025 in February. This promises to be a high-octane, elite-level stand-up battle.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta v Derrick Lewis

Sunday, 25 January SA time

Someone is getting knocked out in this battle of top-10 heavyweights.

Cortes-Acosta couldn’t get enough of the Octagon last year. He fought no less than five times and won four of those bouts. Coming off knockout victories over Ante Delija and Shamil Gaziev, he’s eyeing the biggest win of his career.

Lewis could hardly have spent less time inside the Octagon in 2024. The UFC’s all-time knockout king needed just 35 seconds to obliterate Tallison Teixeira in a July headliner and extend his record.

Will “Salsa Boy” continue to dance his way towards a title shot, or will “The Black Beast” stop the music in trademark fashion?

Arnold Allen v Jean Silva

Sunday, 25 January SA time

Elite featherweights will also go head-to-head in a humdinger.

Allen will return to action for the first time in nearly 18 months. “Almighty” snapped a two-fight skid with a welcome win over Giga Chikadze the last time we saw him in July 2024 and is keen to carry on where he left off.

Silva became a star in Allen’s absence. The unhinged Brazilian began his UFC career with five straight stoppage wins to earn a pay-per-view main event showdown with Diego Lopes last September.

Unfortunately for “Lord”, he took the L, but this is a great opportunity for him to return to winning ways.