Ateba Gautier vs Andrey Pulyaev UFC 324 Prediction - 1/24/2026
Updated July 9, 2026
Ateba Gautier will take on Andrey Pulyaev in what has become one of the more intriguing prelim matchups on the UFC 324 card in Las Vegas on Saturday night. With multiple first-round finishes already under his belt inside the UFC and impressive physical tools, Gautier arrives as the heavy favorite in this middleweight fight. Pulyaev is a seasoned Russian southpaw with solid power and he will try to use that power to get an upset win here. Continue reading to get my breakdown of this bout, including my Ateba Gautier vs Andrey Pulyaev prediction in the octagon.
Pick: | Gautier by KO ATS PRO |
Confidence: | 4/5 |
Ateba Gautier | Andrey Pulyaev | |
|---|---|---|
Age | 23 | 28 |
Reach | 81 inches | 78 inches |
Stance | Switch | Southpaw |
Record | 9-1 | 10-3 |
Ateba Gautier has been impressive in the middleweight division since earning his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. In 2025, Gautier finished all three of his UFC fights inside the opening round, showcasing devastating power and aggression that is hard for opponents to overcome. Standing at 6’4″ with an 81″ reach, he combines range and explosiveness, often peppering opponents with stiff jabs before unleashing his fight-ending power. His finishing rate of 89% is a reflection of his aggression, which is expected to be on display again here.
Gautier’s mindset ahead of Saturday has been resolute, emphasizing that he treats every fight as a war and that he feels he can end Pulyaev early. While some may view this type of language as typical fight-week bravado, it also speaks to his confidence and readiness to push the pace from the opening seconds of the fight.
Andrey Pulyaev is a bit older and has more professional fights under his belt, but his time in the UFC has seen mixed results. Pulyaev made his promotional debut with a loss but rebounded in his next outing with a second-round KO over Nick Klein. His southpaw stance and aggressive forward pressure are tough to deal with, but there are defensive gaps in his game that smart strikers can exploit. Pulyaev’s finishing rate is solid, with eight of his 10 victories coming via stoppage, yet his durability will be tested against someone with the power of Gautier.
The meteoric rise of Ateba Gautier should continue in this fight. While Pulyaev has some knockout power of his own, Gautier has been near-invincible since beginning his tenure in UFC. I'll take Gautier to win this fight by knockout and for that knockout to likely come early on, as the over/under implies that we should see a stoppage within the first seven or eight minutes of action in this preliminary bout.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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