UFC 324 preview

UFC 324 is right around the corner, and there have been some changes to the card since the original announcement back in November, so today, we’ll take a look at some fights to watch, as well as keys to victory for these respective fighters.

Before we can do that, however, news broke on Wednesday that women's bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison was out of her championship fight against Amanda Nunes due to undergoing neck surgery to repair multiple herniated discs.

This is obviously a massive hit to the card, since this was the only unified championship on the line (Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett is for an interim title).

We’ll have to wait at least another six months to see Nunes and Harrison square off in the octagon.

This fight may never happen, as sad as that is to say. Amanda might not want to go through another whole camp, and Kayla may never fully recover.

Moving on to the fights remaining on this card, the first being the featured prelim between No. 2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov and No. 6-ranked Deiveson Figueiredo.

Nurmagomedov is coming off a win against Mario Bautista at UFC 321 in a fight where he dominated on the feet and on the ground.

The same cannot be said for Figueiredo, who beat Montel Jackson via split decision in his last fight.

The key for Nurmagomedov in this one will be to be the more active fighter. Figueiredo only landed 23 significant strikes in his last fight and looked gassed early.

If Nurmagomedov can apply some early pressure, he should have a relatively easy night.

Moving to the main card, we will see the returning Arnold Allen taking on Jean Silva in what is sure to be a striking clinic.

Allen hasn’t fought in about 18 months since his last win over Giga Chikadze at UFC 304. Silva is coming off a loss against Diego Lopes but remains a solid contender in the featherweight division.

He is no pushover for Allen.

The winner of this fight will simply be whoever wins the exchanges on the feet. They are both elite strikers, and this fight can go either way.

The next fight is in the women’s flyweight division and features No. 2-ranked Natalia Silva against No. 6-ranked Rose Namajunas.

The winner of this fight will likely challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship next.

This is a stylistic nightmare for Namajunas, who excels on the ground, but Natalia Silva is one of the best in the sport at defending takedowns, with a defense rating of 92%.

Namajunas will need to win exchanges on the feet to weaken Silva and eventually work in her ground game, or else she’ll have a tough time against the surging 28-year-old.

The featured fight on this main card is sure to be a fun one between two heavyweights ready to throw down.

Those being No. 5-ranked Waldo Cortes Acosta and No. 8 Derrick Lewis.

Lewis, who is one of the funnest fighters to watch in the UFC, will have his work cut out for him against the dangerous Cortes Acosta.

As someone who’s seen both of these men fight, I don’t know what’s going to happen. There will be violence, I know that.

Somebody is getting knocked out. Who is? Your guess is as good as mine.

Moving on to the new co-main event between the former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and the No. 5-ranked bantamweight in the world, Song Yadong.

O’Malley comes into this fight after losing back-to-back fights to the now former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Yadong defeated Henry Cejudo in his last fight and is riding some momentum heading into this one.

As many fans know, Dana White is a significant fan of Sean O’Malley, and he has a right to be. O’Malley is a massive draw due to his loud mouth and brass personality.

With Petr Yan defeating Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight championship, an O’Malley win could give Dana enough of a reason to book a rematch between O’Malley and Yan for the tournament in the future.

Would this be beyond disrespectful to Merab? Yes.

Is that going to stop Dana White? Probably not.

Now for the main event, where the interim lightweight title is on the line between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.

Justin Gaethje, the people’s champ. An American kid who’s never realized won a championship in front of fans.

Paddy Pimblett. A scouser whose rise to the top has been rapid.

Only one man is going to walk out as UFC champion.

Pimblett holds the advantage on the ground as his wrestling is far better than Gaethje’s, but if Justin can outstrike him, this fight can get very interesting.

I personally think Paddy will be just too much, but I can’t help but pull for the American who hasn’t held a championship in six years.

Sawyer Bogaty is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at sgb5468@psu.edu.