Who were the top rookies to make their way to the Octagon in 2024? Read on to find out as the highly unofficial awards season begins…
UFC.com's 2024 Awards: Submissions | Knockouts | Fights
1 - Carlos Prates

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Carlos Prates was no newbie to MMA when he won his contract on season seven of Dana White’s Contender Series, so when he 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. But “The Nightmare” was just getting started, as he closed out 2024 with back-to-back knockouts of Li Jingliang and Neil Magny that garnered him two more Performance of the Night bonuses and a spot in the welterweight Top 15. Top Newcomer of the Year? This one was unanimous.
2 - Kayla Harrison

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 was already a title threat, and after beating Ketlen Vieira in October, she’s closing in on a shot at bantamweight queen Julianna Pena.
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3 - Jean Silva

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Jean Silva had a memorable year to say the least, 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 and ending 2024 with a Fight of the Night stoppage of Drew Dober in Denver. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has talent, power, and charisma – a trio of attributes that will serve him well next year and beyond.
4 - Mauricio Ruffy

The third member of the Fighting Nerds squad (along with Prates and Silva) to make this list, Mauricio Ruffy stunned Jamie Mullarkey in his UFC debut in May, stopping the Aussie veteran in less than a round. And while he was forced to go the distance in his second trip to the Octagon in November, the Brazilian’s win over fellow prospect James Llontop proved that he was no flash in the pan.
5 - 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. Lima remained at 145 for his second UFC bout last weekend, and he continued to impress with a unanimous decision victory over Miles Johns.
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6 - Zhang Mingyang

Finishing all of your pro MMA victories, in the first round, no less, is a great selling point for any UFC newcomer. But usually, once said fighter in competing in the big show, the odds of getting first-round finishes night in and night out dwindles. But then there’s China’s Zhang Mingyang, who made his long-awaited Octagon debut in February and finished Brendson Ribeiro in less than two minutes. He took a little longer against Ozzy Diaz in November, but the result was the same: a first-round knockout that lifted his record to 18-6 with 18 first-round finishes.
7 - Oban Elliott

Oban Elliott is going to be a problem in the welterweight division. Some would say he already is, and after a decision win over Preston Parsons and a knockout of Bassil Hafez, I’m not disagreeing with that notion. And while the Welshman has the charisma to be a star, it’s going to be his well-rounded skill set that may sneak on some folks in 2025 and beyond.
8 – Vinicius Oliveira

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Another seasoned veteran who introduced himself to UFC fans this year, Vinicius Oliveira earned his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September of 2023 in his 22nd pro fight, and the 29-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 in June that already has him knocking on the door of the Top 15.
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9 - Lone’er Kavanagh

Perfect in eight fights, British flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh was one of the breakout stars from season eight of Dana White’s Contender Series this past summer thanks to a blistering first-round knockout of An Tuan Ho, and he moved to 1-0 in his first UFC bout in November by showing he can go three rounds in the big show by decisioning Jose Ochoa.
10 - Michael "Venom" Page

Like Harrison, "MVP" 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.
Voters – Aziz Bawany, Juan Cardenas, Thomas Gerbasi, Christoph Goessing, Simon Head, E. Spencer Kyte, Steve Latrell, McKenzie Pavacich, Zac Pacleb, Ryan White