Home of the biggest surprise of 2024, the women’s flyweight division has never looked more intriguing thanks to a handful of contenders coming into their own but mostly because of Alexa Grasso. Mexico’s first female champion shocked the MMA world with her submission win over longtime champ Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285. She shocked again when she fought Shevchenko to a draw at Noche UFC in the headlining bout.

Although the rematch did not provide a definitive conclusion to the Grasso-Shevchenko saga, it did leave the door cracked for a fresh face to enter the title picture. That’s where Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot come into the conversation. Blanchfield aced both her tests in 2023, first submitting Andrade in February - a real breakout performance for the 24-year-old - before outhustling Taila Santos in Singapore in the latter half of the calendar. The results stretched her UFC run to 6-0. Fiorot matched “Cold Blooded,” returning from injury to spoil Rose Namajunas’ flyweight debut in front of a raucous Parisian crowd, which also stretched “The Beast” to a perfect 6-0 in the Octagon. The two are scheduled to face off in Atlantic City in late-March, which likely determines the next title challenger while Grasso and Shevchenko each recover from injuries sustained in their Noche battle.

Names to Watch For in 2024: Maycee Barber, Rose Namajunas, Natalia Silva, Ariane Lipski, Tracy Cortez

To say Amanda Nunes’ retirement in June left a power vacuum atop the bantamweight division would sell the situation short. “The Lioness” left more of a black hole that was left vacant for the remainder of the year. Former champion Julianna Peña, naturally upset with Nunes’ decision, clamored for a chance to regain her belt, but that chance goes to Brazilian upstart Mayra Bueno Silva, who will battle Raquel Pennington in Toronto at UFC 297. Pennington won her lone fight of 2023, defeating Ketlen Vieira to extend her winning streak to five. Peña did not compete in 2023 after losing to Nunes in their rematch at UFC 277. Bueno Silva, meanwhile, started 2023 off with a bang, submitting Lina Lansberg via kneebar in February. She passed her first main event test against former champion Holly Holm, but that victory was turned into a no contest after Bueno Silva failed a drug test. Even still, the performance was impressive, and she goes into her first title shot unbeaten in her last four fights. Ketlen Vieira and Irene Aldana each went 1-1 in 2023 and figure to be a win or two away from title shots themselves.

Names to Watch For in 2024: Karol Rosa, Pannie Kianzad

With a sweet right hand to Aljamain Sterling’s jaw, Sean O’Malley fulfilled his dreams of becoming the UFC bantamweight champion. The fan-favorite and Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus has the potential to go from star to superstar with a successful reign on the throne, and he gets to immediately right his lone loss in the Octagon at UFC 299. There, he will face Marlon “Chito” Vera in a rematch of 2020 bout which Vera won via TKO.

Although Vera picked up a solid win over Pedro Munhoz in 2023, it was his 2020 victory over “Suga” that did a lot of heavy lifting to get him the title shot. It’s a narrative everyone is intrigued with seeing play out, and the two are a couple of the most entertaining fighters on the roster, as well as mainstays in the stacked title picture. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen will likely have to pick up another win as they make their slower treks to potential championship opportunities. “The Machine” dominated former champion Petr Yan in a main event while Sandhagen did the same against Vera and Rob Font, but a tricep injury against the latter sidelined Sandhagen for the early part of the calendar. Dvalishvili gets a chance to rack up another win over a former champion when he faces Henry Cejudo at UFC 298.

Names to Watch For in 2024: Petr Yan, Deiveson Figueiredo, Umar Nurmagomedov, Yadong Song

It’s a testament to the talent in the featherweight division that it can have a dominant champion like Alexander Volkanovski on top and remain one of the most intriguing weight classes in the UFC. “The Great” defended his belt once in 2023, besting Yair Rodriguez after “El Pantera” earned the interim title against Josh Emmett in the early part of the year while Volkanovski made his bid for double-champ status. Volkanovski will make his next defense against the undefeated and surging Ilia Topuria – who heeded Volkanovski’s advice to not fight Max Holloway while waiting – at UFC 298 in Anaheim.

Should Volkanovski win, the next in line hasn’t yet distinguished themselves. Arnold Allen lost a competitive main event to Holloway, but he can bounce back in January when he faces the undefeated Movsar Evloev in Toronto. Aljamain Sterling is set to make his featherweight debut at UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar, who returns from a major knee injury sustained in October 2022. A dominant win could catapult Sterling into the title talk against Volkanovski. Holloway remains stuck behind his Australian foil despite a pair of good wins over Allen and “The Korean Zombie.” The former champion has said he’d love to fight Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt, but he’ll likely be rooting hard for Topuria to open up a chance for a second “Blessed” title reign.  

Names to Watch For in 2024: Calvin Kattar, Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez, Movsar Evloev

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Rakhmonov has an unbeaten ledger that is eye-popping to anyone: 18 wins, 18 finishes. His most recent submission win over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was shocking only because it looked like most of his other bouts, which is to say it was one-way traffic. Edwards’ coach, Dave Lovell also mentioned Gilbert Burns as an intriguing opponent, but Burns likely needs a win after dropping a decision to Muhammad in Miami. There’s a handful of up-and-comers climbing the ladder, as well, but they’ll likely need to spend 2024 racking up a couple of wins before seeing the title picture.

Names to Watch For in 2024: Sean Brady, Ian Machado Garry, Jack Della Maddalena 

All that said, light heavyweight is in its most intriguing spot since Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones released it from their collective grasp. The division has had five undisputed champions since February 2020, and guys like Magomed Ankalaev and Aleskandar Rakic are hoping to make it six – or, honestly, maybe seven - by the end of 2024.

Names to Watch For in 2024: Johnny Walker, Khalil Rountree Jr.

As for who those interim defenses could come against, Jailton Almeida pops up as the shiniest name. The 32-year-old Brazilian has faced little, if any, adversity and is fresh off a dominant five-round decision over Derrick Lewis. He is scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes in the first quarter of 2024, and a win over “Razor” could prompt a title opportunity. On the other hand, Blaydes and Aspinall have unfinished business, and that is a stylistically fascinating fight, as is a matchup between Aspinall and Gane, who rebounded from his loss to Jones with a win over Serghei Spivac in Paris. All things told, heavyweight has as many young contenders and all-time greats competing simultaneously as it has in a long while, so the next couple years could provide some major and historic moments.

Checking In With Brendan Fitzgerald

Names to Watch For in 2024: Curtis Blaydes, Serghei Spivac, Derrick Lewis, Alex Pereira