UFC 324 breaks records for Paramount+, reaches more homes than any UFC event in decade

The first event of the historic media rights deal between UFC and Paramount Skydance went down Saturday with UFC 324 from Las Vegas outperforming expectations on Paramount+. Headlined by a thrilling fight that saw Justin Gaethje defeat Paddy Pimblett to win the interim lightweight championship, UFC 324 registered as the platform's largest exclusive live event to date, delivering nearly five million streaming views and seven million households.   

By officially saying goodbye to the pay-per-view model, streaming live for Paramount+ subscribers, UFC 324 reached more homes than any UFC live event in nearly a decade across linear, broadcast and streaming. The UFC 324 stream hit a concurrent peak of more than 5.9 million streams.

The event was also a hit on social media, serving not only as Paramount+'s most social telecast ever, but also the No. 1 trend for six consecutive hours. UFC 324 saw a 127% increase in mentions from December's UFC 323 PPV.

Every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night will stream live on Paramount+ -- no additional fees -- for the duration of the seven-year deal.

In Saturday night's main event, Gaethje outworked Pimblett in a five-round bout ended via unanimous decision, becoming the first two-time interim champion in UFC history. He scored multiple knockdowns as part of a performance that may be seen as among the best of the year in mixed martial arts. 

Gaethje is now in line to unify his interim belt with full champion Ilia Topuria, who has been sidelined while dealing with a contentious divorce.

UFC 325 is next up on Saturday, airing live internationally from Sydney, Australia. The main card, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski's featherweight title defense against Diego Lopes, will stream live on Paramount+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET.