On Thanksgiving Day, Dana White announced UFC 324 and UFC 325, two massive events set to kickstart the historic $7.7 billion Paramount era for the UFC. The UFC CEO revealed that the UFC 324 card, with Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett in the main event, stands almost complete, while UFC 325 will feature Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes as its main event. With barely over a month left before these blockbuster cards unfold, fans expected major shake-ups along the way, and the first one struck hard as the Alexa Grasso vs. Rose Namajunas showdown officially got canceled. 

As first reported by Sherdog, former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is out of her UFC 324 main-card clash against former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. After Grasso suffered an injury during training, she and her team decided to withdraw from the bout. However, the matchup is not entirely doomed. Stepping in as her replacement, Natalia Silva will now face ‘Thug’ Rose, putting her status as the #2-ranked 125 lbs contender on the line and giving Namajunas a massive opportunity to capitalize.

Indeed, Rose Namajunas had a strong match-up against Alexa Grasso at UFC 324 to climb the rankings. But with Natalia Silva now standing across from her, she has a real chance to grab that sweet #2 spot in the women’s flyweight division and move herself closer to a title shot. Silva already holds a win over Grasso from their UFC 315 meeting, so if Namajunas gets it done on January 24th, she’ll edge even closer to a massive future showdown with Valentina Shevchenko.

On the flipside, if Natalia Silva beats Rose Namajunas on relatively short notice, she’ll add two former champions to her resume, which would almost certainly cement her as the next opponent for ‘Bullet.’ Plus, Silva is currently undefeated in the UFC, another factor working heavily in her favor. But that’s not the only major shake-up UFC 324 is set to go through.

Following the Grasso vs Namajunas fallout, another exciting heavyweight banger has been added to the lineup, and it will surely steal the show at UFC 324. 

UFC 324 adds Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman heavyweight showdown to its lineup  

Dana White is on a mission to make the heavyweight division exciting again as he actively reshapes the landscape. With fan favorites like Chris Barnett and Jairzinho Rozenstruik departing earlier this year, the UFC has brought in surging talents like Valter Walker and Ante Delija to give the division some life. Following that trend, newcomers Josh Hokit and Denzel Freeman now get their shot to perform at UFC 324.

According to MMA Fighting, multiple sources confirmed that the UFC has matched Hokit vs Freeman for the opening Paramount+ CBS card on January 27th. With that addition, fans can expect some serious heavyweight action at UFC 324, especially with Waldo Cortes-Acosta already lined up to battle Derrick Lewis on the main card.

Coming back to the newly made big-boy clash, Hokit has impressed everyone with his strong performance against Guilherme Uriel on Dana White’s Contender Series, followed by his first UFC victory over Max Gimenis at UFC Vegas 111, a win that also earned him a performance bonus from Dana White. Still, it’s his charismatic personality and Chael Sonnen–style post-fight speech that truly boosted his popularity.

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His opponent, former LFA champ Denzel Freeman, also secured his first UFC win at UFC Qatar against Marek Bujło. While his performance felt a bit underwhelming, it’s clear the UFC sees real potential in him, which is exactly why he’s getting the chance to perform at UFC 324.

That said, as the UFC gears up to start next year with a bang, do you think these shake-ups at UFC 324 have enhanced the quality of the card or weakened it? Let us know in the comments section below.