Preview: UFC 324 Prelims

Bantamweights

Cameron Smotherman (12-6, 1-2 UFC) vs. Ricky Turcios (12-5, 2-3 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Smotherman (-192), Turcios (+160)

Two bantamweights look to get back in the win column in this pairing. Turcios was the standout in just about every way on the 2021 season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” showing off his unique personality inside of the house before winning the bantamweight bracket. Turcios didn’t figure to have a particularly high upside as an established veteran with an extremely messy approach, but his results during the season—particularly his victory over talented wrestler Brady Hiestand to win the whole thing—raised the hopes that his combination of experience and ability to set a pace could separate him from a lot of rawer fighters on the UFC roster. That hasn’t really happened. At best, the chaos Turcios brings to the table has given his opponents a lot to work with themselves, while at worst, he has come to the cage with some baffling game plans that set him up for a clear loss. After losing two in a row, Turcios gets a step back to attempt to rebound against Smotherman, who also needs to work through some issues.

Smotherman appeared on the Contender Series in 2023, getting some hype as a talent despite a clear flaw in his approach, as he’s much too patient. Even on the regional scene, Smotherman often took multiple rounds to put away opponents that he seemed much more capable of overwhelming. That all came back to bite him in that Contender Series appearance, as Charalampos Grigoriou stormed him out of the gate and knocked him out in a minute. After a few more wins on the regional scene, Smotherman still got the UFC call a shade over a year later. Smotherman’s successful UFC debut showed that he can do some impressive things against an opponent who respects him, as he was able to pick apart Jake Hadley without much trouble. However, 2025 saw Smotherman get little of that respect from Serhiy Sidey and Ricky Simon, suffering two one-sided losses as a result. Turcios is an absolute mess, but he commits to activity and has historically been quite durable, meaning Smotherman will probably need to win rounds rather than rely on a late finish. That would require a change in mentality that Smotherman hasn’t shown thus far. The pick is Turcios via decision.

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