(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

LAS VEGAS -- Dana White and the UFC begin a new era on Saturday night.

Rising star Paddy Pimblett and former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will headline UFC 324 in what marks the company's first numbered card since the highly publicized seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount became official on Jan. 1.

Pimblett and Gaethje will be fighting for the interim lightweight title belt after champion Ilia Topuria announced a leave of absence from the sport amidst mounting personal issues. As a result, the winner of Gaethje vs. Pimblett will be directly in line for a shot at Topuria's undisputed title belt upon his return.

UFC 324 also marks the first time that Pimblett, arguably the UFC's most viral star over the past two years, will finally get the chance to main event a numbered card. Pimblett, a Liverpool native, became a fan favorite long before he was in the main event picture and even before he was in the UFC, owing to his brash, Conor McGregor-like demeanor and his catchy Scouse accent.

The first time Pimblett appeared on many sports fans' radars was in September 2021, after he was nearly knocked out by a shot from Luigi Vendramini before quickly knocking out the Italian in the first round. When Michael Bisping was ribbing him about the close call during the in-octagon interview, Pimblett uttered a sentence that has become synonymous with his career.

'I'm a Scouser,' Pimblett said, looking at the camera. 'We don't get knocked out.'

Since that evening at the UFC Apex, Pimblett's rise both in and out of the Octagon has been meteoric. He still hasn't lost a fight in the UFC, beating Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt by rear-naked choke submission in back-to-back fights.

His next two fights saw him defeat Jared Gordon and Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision, both in Las Vegas and both accompanied by post-fight interviews that only raised his stock. Pimblett's most recent fight, a vicious TKO of Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April, was ultimately what solidified his position on a main card.

'It's an honor,' Pimblett said. 'It shows how much the UFC trusts me. They know me and Justin will put on a good fight. And it's a world title fight. I've been saying it for 16 years now for this to happen, and it's finally here.'

Gaethje, on the other hand, sees Pimblett as the final obstacle in the way of what could very well be the last title shot of his career. At 37 years old, that also means he knows the reality of what will happen to his stock if he falters on Saturday night. However, most people probably would have assumed Gaetjhe's title prospects ended the moment he lost an all-time war to Max Holloway in spectacular fashion at UFC 300.

A lights-out performance against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 proved Gaethje still had plenty of gas left in his tank, but he still hadn't done enough since his loss to Holloway to be deemed worthy of a title shot. A win Saturday makes that title shot all but official.

And while a win would make Gaethje a two-time UFC interim champion, fans know good and well what Gaethje thinks of those. Or at least what he thought.

When he won it the first time, he threw his belt on the canvas, but this time around he realizes the importance of what he's about to embark on.

'I definitely won't be (tossing the belt),' Gaethje said. 'As I got older, I'm wiser, and I understand that an interim belt is the same exact thing as an undisputed belt on paper for my pay. And it certainly gives me the biggest fight possible next, so this is huge. Huge for my legacy.'

The co-main event will feature Sean O'Malley vs. Song Yadong in a bantamweight bout that will likely see the winner go on to face champion Petr Yan later in the year. Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes were also slated for a highly anticipated matchup on the card, but Harrison pulled out last week due to injury.

--Will Despart, Field Level Media