The start of a new era for the UFC on Paramount, and despite the main event being an interim title fight, it is a fight where a lot of questions will be answered.

Does Justin Gaethje still have it to hang with the elite? Is Paddy Pimblett good enough to hold title gold? It feels like a fight that will have big ramifications for the year ahead.

Per multiple sources, the UFC had targeted this main event to be between Undisputed Champion Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett; however, with the Georgian taking a hiatus from the sport due to personal reasons, it’s Gaethje who has been plucked to stitch together this main event.

I’m personally shocked at the pricing for this fight. Yes, Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC, but context is important. He has been awarded this title fight off the back of wins over the likes of King Green and Michael Chandler. Not to disparage either, but in a stacked 155, this is not the title-worthy CV the likes of Arman Tsarukyan or even Charles Oliveira boast.

Naysayers will say Justin Geathje is past it, and while there could be an element of truth to that, he has only lost to the elite at 155. Not to mention his impressive outing against the technical striker, Rafael Fiziev, back in March.

Pimblett is the inferior striker here, and grappling is his go-to to utilise his superior jiu-jitsu. Gaethje not only boasts a human-highlight reel of KOs, but his NCAA Division I credentials from the University of Colorado should be enough to stuff the takedown.

Gaethje has only been submitted twice in his career: by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Pimblett has had the rocket strapped to him by the organisation due to his charismatic style and unique look. He’s gone further than many of us predicted, but at a price of 2.75, it’s hard to look past Gaethje winning the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship for the second time.

How will Suga Sean bounce back after back-to-back title defeats to Merab Dvalishvili? 

At one stage, O’Malley seemed to be the UFC’s Golden Ticket. Phenomenal KOs, exuberant personality, and a great talker, it seems his stock has taken a slight dent since those losses to Merab.

It speaks volumes about O’Malley’s determination that he has taken such a risky fight to bounce back. Song Yadong is no joke, as highlighted in his straightforward decision win over former two-weight champion Henry Dejudo back in February.

4/9 looks like a decent shout for this fight to go the full three. This is simply a ‘can’t lose’ fight for O’Malley, and if he does lose, it’s hard to see who he fights next. He will want to dominate from range and wear Yadong down.

Yadong has proven himself to have a solid chin; he’s only suffered one stoppage loss since 2016 after all. This feels like the judges’ scorecards will be put into play for this co-main event.

1/3 seems like a generous price for a heavyweight fight not to go the distance, not to mention when one of the fighters boasts the most KOs in the history of the UFC.

Derrick Lewis has been worthy of this accolade. Over the past 12 years, ‘The Black Beast’ has given fans their money’s worth in dramatic knockouts (and post-fight interviews), and will go down in history as one of the most entertaining fighters to grace the heavyweight division.

Dominican Waldo Cortes-Acosta poses a substantial threat to fan-favourite Lewis ahead of Sunday morning. He went 5-1 in 2025 alone, and is coming off the back of back-to-back KOs over Ante Deljia and Shamil Gaziev.

Cortes-Acosta is also priced at 1/3 to win this one on the nose, but you just can’t back against Derrick Lewis making it 17 UFC KOs. Many thought his fight against Tallison Texeira back in July would be a sign of him slowing down: Lewis won by TKO in 35 seconds.

Lewis has demonstrated a weakness in his grappling throughout his career, and I’m not against the idea of Cartes-Acosta pinning him down and winning by TKO. Either way, I can’t see this fight going the full 15 minutes.

Modestas Bukasukas has quietly put together an extremely impressive run at 205 since returning to the UFC.

The Lithuanian-born Brit is currently 6-1 since returning to the UFC in 2023, and it’s beyond belief how he has not found himself ranked in the top 15 after this run. I feel Sunday morning is where he will put that right.

Nikita Krylov’s skillset can’t be denied. His headkick KO over Ed Herman back in 2016 is a KO that always stands out to me, as do his impressive submission wins over the likes of Ryan Spann, Ovince Saint Preux, and Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

Recently, however, it’s not been plain sailing for the Ukrainian. 3-4 in his last seven, including back-to-back KO losses over Dominick Reyes and Bogdan Guskov demonstrate he is wearing his years clearly.

Bukaskas will be buoyed to have a number next to his name to kick off 2026, and it feels like a passing of the guard here at 205lbs. Buskauskas is the value play for me.