CBS gave Dana White a grand stage over the weekend, letting him announce the first fight bookings of the Paramount+ Era during halftime of the Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Cowboys and Chiefs. Perhaps that was a sign that the budding partnership between the UFC and Paramount–Skydance is actually off to a good start — but the fights themselves were weird as hell, man. Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight title to headline the company’s first PPV-turned-PLE at UFC 324? The men’s featherweight championship rematch absolutely no one asked for between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes? What are we doing here, you guys?
Plus, it’s UFC 323 fight week! Can Merab make it four successful title defenses in just under a year?
