UFC 324 Preview: Best Bets and Top DFS Slips for Saturday, January 24

UFC is back for 2026, with its debut on the streaming platform Paramount+. UFC 324 offers a stacked card headlined by a title fight and a high-level striking co-main event.

With big names on the main and preliminary cards, there are multiple betting and DFS angles worth attacking. Let’s break down the top matchups and best DFS looks on the board.

Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje — Lightweight Title Fight

This main event is a fascinating clash of styles, while Justin Gaethje remains one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, his aggressive style and defensive lapses could create openings for Paddy to attack. Though Gaethje is a warrior, that comes with a cost. That cost usually ends up losing by finish, when he does lose.

Pimblett’s biggest advantage is his ability to flip Gaethje’s aggressiveness onto him and force the fight to the mat. Once this fight hits the mat or hits extended grappling exchanges, Pimblett’s submission threats and ground-and-pound become serious problems.

Gaethje has shown time and time again he lacks the ability to fight back on the ground. I do believe his only chance to win this is staying on his feet, as most would agree. Over five rounds, pressure, cardio, and grappling favor a hungry Pimblett looking to retire Gaethje and stake his claim at the top.

Best Bet: Paddy Pimblett by Finish (-118, BetRivers)

Sean O’Malley vs Song Yadong — Co-Main Event

The co-main event sets up perfectly for a bounce-back performance from Sean O’Malley. O’Malley looks to be another Max Holloway, fantastic striker that could never get past the more well rounded fighter in his time (Volkanovski for Holloway and Merab for O’Malley).

Song Yadong is durable, physical, powerful, and has a high fight-IQ, but his style plays into O’Malley’s strengths. When that happens it is tough to pick against one of the cleanest strikers, with one of the best corners in the game. Song has never been finished in his UFC career, and the more I think about it, it would have to take a special shot, or special performance to finish this guy.

That alone pushes this matchup toward a decision rather than a finish. Could Song catch O’Malley? Sure, he also has some ammo in his back pocket with their latest interaction leaving Song calling O’Malley a racist, this one could be personal.

All that said, O’Malley’s movement, range control, and striking efficiency should allow him to stay on the outside, avoiding any unwanted damage and extended brawls. I like Sean to fight a clean fight here, racking up points over three rounds. He is very cerebral and he understands the threat he is facing, he will fight smart here to stop his 2-fight losing streak.

Best Bet: Sean O’Malley by Decision (+120, BetRivers)

DFS Underdog Slips

2.55x Payout

• Umar Nurmagomedov higher than 0.5 finishes
• Paddy Pimblett higher than 0.5 finishes

Umar Nurmagomedov offers elite grappling pressure and positional dominance that consistently puts him in winning positions. Though he doesn’t typically turn those winning positions into finishes, he has a great opportunity here vs an aged Figuerdo.

Umar has fallen off the main card due to lackluster performances, he needs a stand out win, against a veteran of the game. If he does that, he will be right back into the top 1-2 spots on a card. His chain takedowns and pressure will be too much over 3 rounds. Paddy write up is above and he doesn’t want this thing going to a decision!

3x Payout

• Sean O’Malley higher than 79.5 significant strikes
• Natalia Silva higher than 62.5 significant strikes

Sean O’Malley’s footwork, range control, and striking accuracy make this a solid play, especially going against another striker. If I truly believed there would be a finish here, I would not touch this prop, but I do believe we see the 3rd round and we should have a back-and-forth fistfight.

Rather than hunting for an early finish, O’Malley is likely to stay patient as he knows Song could crack him with a good one. I also expect Natalia Silva’s high-tempo striking style to keep Rose on her back foot for three rounds. I don’t expect this to hit the mat much, even if Rose would like it to. Silva should maintain forward pressure allowing her to get off multiple combinations.