Athletes
The Newcomers | 2024 Half-Year Awards
There Were Some Epic UFC Debuts In The First Half Of 2023. Take A Look At Which Five Newcomers Have Our Attention
Who were the top rookies to make their way to the Octagon in the first half of 2024? Read on to find out as the highly unofficial half-year awards season begins…
1 – Kayla Harrison
Kayla Harrison Post-Fight Interview | UFC 300
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Kayla Harrison Post-Fight Interview | UFC 300
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Yes, it’s a little odd to call the two-time Olympic gold medalist and longtime PFL standout a newcomer, but Kayla Harrison did make her UFC debut in 2024, and what a debut it was, as she jumped right into the fire at UFC 300 in April and scored a dominant second-round finish of former world champion Holly Holm. With one fight, Harrison is already a title threat, and it will be very interesting to see what the rest of the year and beyond holds for her.
2 – Vinicius Oliveira
Another seasoned veteran who introduced himself to UFC fans this year, Vinicius Oliveira earned his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last September in his 22nd pro fight, and the 28-year-old bantamweight proceeded to make an immediate impact with a double bonus winning knockout of Benardo Sopaj in March, and followed that up with a win over Ricky Simon last weekend that already has him knocking on the door of the Top 15.
3 – Felipe Lima
Already someone on the radar of fight fans as the Oktagon MMA bantamweight champion, Felipe Lima couldn’t refuse the short notice offer to step in and face surging Muhammad Naimov in June, and despite fighting up a weight class, he hit his mark on weigh-in day and then delivered on fight night, submitting Naimov in the third round. And while bantamweight is stacked, should Lima return to 135, he will be a serious threat there.
4 (tie) – Jean Silva
His weight-miss last weekend notwithstanding, Jean Silva has had a memorable year thus far, stopping Westin Wilson in a single round in January before handing Charles Jourdain the first knockout loss of his career at UFC 303 in Las Vegas. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has talent, power, and charisma – a trio of attributes that will serve him well in a crowded featherweight division.
4 (tie) – Carlos Prates
Carlos Prates was no newbie to MMA when he won his contract on season seven of Dana White’s Contender Series, so when the 22-fight veteran made his UFC debut in February, he adjusted seamlessly, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his knockout of Trevin Giles. Four months later, he put some extra cash in his pocket again, knocking out Charles Radtke in the first round. Welterweight is an interesting place to be these days, so the potential is certainly there for “The Nightmare” to move fast.
5 – Michael "Venom" Page
Like Harrison, Michael “Venom” Page arrived in the UFC as an already established star, so he was thrown into the deep end of the welterweight pool with matchups against Kevin Holland and Ian Machado Garry. And while he emerged with a 1-1 record in those bouts, beating Holland and losing a decision to Machado Garry, the Brit isn’t going anywhere, and his unorthodox striking style will be an issue for anyone he faces at 170 pounds.
Others receiving votes – Hyder Amil, Danny Barlow, Oumar Sy, Zhang Mingyang