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From Dominant Champions To Surging Contenders, These 10 Fighters Made Their Mark In 2024
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The Fighters | 2024 UFC.com Awards

From Dominant Champions To Surging Contenders, These 10 Fighters Made Their Mark In 2024

The highly unofficial awards season continues with the top fighters of 2024...and yes, for the first time, there was a tie.

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1 (tie) – Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira kicks Jiri Prochazka in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 303 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Alex Pereira kicks Jiri Prochazka in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 303 event at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Fighters fight. And Alex Pereira is a fighter to the core. Three times he made the walk in 2024, something practically unheard of for a world champion these days, and each time, he didn’t just win in defense of his UFC light heavyweight title, but he knocked out two former champions in Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, but a tough contender who gave him some trouble in Khalil Rountree Jr. It was a year to remember, and one you can expect “Poatan” to try to match or surpass in 2025.

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1 (tie) – Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria reacts after a knockout victory against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Ilia Topuria reacts after a knockout victory against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Ten of us voted and five had Pereira as Fighter of the Year and five selected “The Matador,” Mr. Ilia Topuria. And while some might say three 2024 wins is better than two, that argument goes out the window when you consider that the featherweight champ’s two victories were over two all-time greats in Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. It was a remarkable year – one of the best in UFC history – and if Topuria stays at 145 pounds, he may be in for a long reign.

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3 – Carlos Prates

Carlos Prates reacts after a knockout victory against Neil Magny in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Carlos Prates reacts after a knockout victory against Neil Magny in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Carlos Prates, the chain-smoking terror from the Fighting Nerds team took over the welterweight division in 2024, scoring four knockouts over Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang and Neil Magny. Add in his personality and willingness to chase the finish at all times, and all eyes are on “The Nightmare” heading into the New Year.

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4 – Diego Lopes

Diego Lopes strikes Brian Ortega in a featherweight fight during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Diego Lopes strikes Brian Ortega in a featherweight fight during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Now 5-0 in the Octagon, Brazil’s Diego Lopes delivered three of those wins in 2024, raising the degree of difficulty each time out as he stopped Sodiq Yusuff, then decisioned Dan Ige and Brian Ortega to establish himself as a serious threat to anyone in the 145-pound division that he will making a title run in when 2025 arrives.

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5 – Dricus Du Plessis

Dricus Du Plessis secures a rear choke submission against Israel Adesanya in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Dricus Du Plessis secures a rear choke submission against Israel Adesanya in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

South Africa’s first UFC champion, Dricus Du Plessis won that belt in January with a Fight of the Night win over Sean Strickland and then successfully defended it by submitting Israel Adesanya in August. That makes it eight wins in a row for “Stillknocks,” who will see Strickland again in his first fight of 2025 in February.

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6 – Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili reacts after the conclusion of his UFC bantamweight championship fight against Sean O'Malley during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Merab Dvalishvili reacts after the conclusion of his UFC bantamweight championship fight against Sean O'Malley during the UFC 306 at Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at Sphere on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Merab Dvalishvili was his swarming self in 2024, and after decisioning Henry Cejudo in February, he won the UFC bantamweight title with an upset five-round win over Sean O’Malley. The Georgia native has always lived up to his nickname “The Machine,” and now that he has the belt, it will be tough for anyone who doesn’t have ten rounds’ worth of cardio to beat him unless they catch him with something early.

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7 – Renato Moicano

Renato Moicano punches Benoit Saint Denis in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Renato Moicano punches Benoit Saint Denis in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Talk about coming out of nowhere. Brazil’s Renato Moicano has always been an elite fighter, but in 2024, “Money” Moicano started getting the respect he deserves. And getting opportunities is one thing; seizing them is another, and with a decision over Drew Dober and stoppages of Jalin Turner and Benoit Saint Denis, fans can’t wait to see what 2025 brings for one of the sport’s most compelling figures.

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8 – Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja reacts to his win against Kai Asakura in the UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Alexandre Pantoja reacts to his win against Kai Asakura in the UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

After the flyweight title was traded back and forth between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno for three years, Alexandre Pantoja stepped in and has given the 125-pound title some stability for the first time since Demetrious Johnson ruled the division. In 2024, Pantoja was as steady as ever in beating Steve Erceg and Kai Asakura, and he doesn’t look like he’s giving up the belt any time soon.

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9 – Joaquin Buckley

Joaquin Buckley punches Colby Covington in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Joaquin Buckley punches Colby Covington in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

At middleweight, Joaquin Buckley showed flashes of brilliance. At welterweight, he’s been brilliant all the time, with 2024 being the true coming out party for the St. Louis native thanks to a quartet of victories (three by KO or TKO) over Vicente Luque, Nursulton Ruziboev, Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington. Now he’s up at number six with a bullet, and 2025 should be something to see from “New Mansa.”

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10 – Belal Muhammad

Belal Muhammad reacts after his victory against Leon Edwards in the UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Belal Muhammad reacts after his victory against Leon Edwards in the UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

The champ is here. And the fact that it only took Belal Muhammad one fight to make it on this list shows just how important that win was, as he got his long-awaited welterweight title shot against Leon Edwards in July and made the most of it, taking the belt via unanimous decision. Muhammad was scheduled to return earlier this month against Shavkat Rakhmonov, but was forced out due to injury, pushing that intriguing title fight to next year.

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