It seems the UFC is taking the growing feud between upcoming opponents Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov very seriously.
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are set to collide at the first pay-per-view of the new year, with the pair marking one of two championship fights scheduled for UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
Much to his dismay, the Georgian is tasked with stalling the charge of the undefeated Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili has been vocal in dismissing the Dagestani’s title shot worthiness, and that topic has caused considerable animosity between the pair.
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) December 23, 2024
“It’s all good – this guy will get what is coming to him on January 18th,” Dvalishvili wrote in the caption of a video on X, during which the Georgian explained how he’d been turned away from the UFC Performance Institute due to Nurmagomedov’s presence inside.
Regardless, the champ won’t have too much longer to wait before having the chance to lay hands on the unbeaten Russian inside the cage.
UFC flyweight contender Brandon Royval believes the magnitude of his next fight lends itself to a better environment than the Apex.
2024 was a successful year for the #1-ranked Royval, who entered it off the back of a disappointing performance in his title challenge against Alexandre Pantoja last December.
With that, the 32-year-old is firmly back within the championship conversation at 125 pounds. And to earn another chance at the gold, Royval must now get past Manel Kape.
“Kape and I is a dope ass fight,” he wrote on X. “We should make this happen in front of an audience.”
For “Starboy,” the bout offers the chance for him to secure a first title shot on MMA’s biggest stage. The former Rizin champ originally called his shot for a rematch versus Pantoja next year after a dominant victory over Bruno Silva in Tampa earlier this month.
But after Dana White was quick to dismiss that as a possibility, Kape now has his next assignment in the calendar, as he looks to wrest Royval’s top contender status away in 2025 en route to the flyweight throne.
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has firmly shut the door on the possibility of returning to welterweight, but he has left another door ajar…
Whittaker will enter the new year off the back of a crushing defeat, having been submitted in the opening round by a brutal face crank at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi this past October.
While wins earlier in the year over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov had the Australian approaching a chance to regain the 185-pound crown, “The Reaper” is now out of the championship conversation for the time being.
And when he returns in 2025, it seems Whittaker is pondering the prospect of inserting himself into a different one.
During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker noted that a return to welterweight — the division he went 3-2 in under the UFC banner before switching to middleweight — is not on the cards. A move up, however, could be.
“Me, I wouldn’t go down. I can’t go down,” Whittaker said. “I’m still playing with the idea of going up to light heavy, dude. I’m a big dude, much bigger than people think I am. I don’t know.”
Robert Whittaker seems like he's thinking about a move up to Light Heavyweight and honestly wouldn't be a bad idea for where he's at in his career pic.twitter.com/vyIfdG6xKn
Should Whittaker follow through on that, he’d be chasing a man he was previously in pursuit of at 185 pounds.
After a brief stint on the middleweight throne, Alex Pereira secured two-division glory in just his second fight at light heavyweight. He’s since defended the gold on three occasions in 2024, establishing himself as one of the promotion’s leading stars.
That setback this year marked Adesanya’s second straight, coming 11 months on from his shock removal from the throne at the hands of Sean Strickland. The Nigerian-New Zealander now finds him out of the championship conversation for the first time in years.
Given that card’s location and the habit since 2020 for many events to take place within the crowdless surroundings of the Apex, Adesanya isn’t expecting the magnitude of his next fight to feel as different as some have predicted.
“I still get paid. There’s still a referee, it’s two of us in there, there’s a crowd. It’s not like in the f*cking Apex or something, so it doesn’t feel any different,” Adesanya said during an interview uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel. “I think people are making it out to be something how they would react to it, but they’re not in my shoes. They’re not in my shorts.
“It’s a Saudi Arabia Fight Night, first of all. I still get paid. It still feels like you’re fighting Israel Adesanya. This is the biggest fight of his (Imavov’s) life. I have to be the one to halt that,” Adesanya continued. “It still feels the same. It doesn’t feel any different.”
While he expects to feel the same making the walk, Adesanya will hope to get a different result than in his two previous outings.
Having admitted that he’s toward the end of his career as an active fighter, “The Last Stylebender” will look to ensure that his stint in the UFC doesn’t conclude on a losing skid by defeating Imavov for his first win since a memorable knockout of Alex Pereira in April 2023.
Following that, “The Problem Child” has continued to boast big aspirations, once again vowing to become a world champion and calling out the likes of Canelo Álvarez. And with that, past talk of an MMA transition has quietened.
Paul previously looked close to a first cage appearance after signing with the Professional Fighters League at the start of 2023. During a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Hardy — a former UFC title challenger and the head of fighter operations for PFL Europe — pondered the polarizing ex-Disney star’s potential MMA arrival.
“I was excited about the idea that Jake Paul would have a go at mixed martial arts. And I thought to myself he’s going to come to MMA with the same energy, we know he’s got a wrestling background as well,” Hardy said. “He’s in a weird situation, isn’t he? Because who do you match (him) up against?”
Talk of Paul’s debut in the sport most recently returned to the surface when former Glory Kickboxing champ Cédric Doumbé included him on the list of possible 2025 opponents while addressing the crowd in Lyon at the PFL Europe championship event this month.
In the eyes of Hardy, the Frenchman is a realistic opponent option for Paul.
“Cédric Doumbé had mentioned a few different people he would fight, and Jake Paul was on the list. Doumbé’s got a great kickboxing background, but he only has a few fights in MMA. And he’s a striker, so he’s not going to want to grapple with Jake Paul,” Hardy continued. “Doumbé’s a bit older, but he’s definitely smaller. That could be a good one, even in boxing, I think Cédric Doumbé vs. Jake Paul would be a lot of fun.”
There remains no timeline on an MMA venture for Paul, whose most recent tease regarding a combat sports assignment explicitly mentioned the boxing realm once again.
Doumbé, meanwhile, is seemingly eying up a rematch with Baissangour “Baki” Chamsoudinov after the controversial end to their headline clash in Paris earlier this year.
UFC lightweight Jim Miller may have enjoyed a record-breaking career in mixed martial arts, but he still says he suffers from “imposter syndrome” at times.
That outing extended Miller’s lead in a number of UFC records, including most wins (27), most fights (45), and most first-round finishes.
But despite a storied tenure in the sport and on its biggest stage, “A-10” doesn’t always feel as though he belongs.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Miller was candid about that issue. While his status would no doubt lend itself to the freedom to do so, the fan favorite admitted he often struggles when it comes to making requests such as arena appearances instead of Apex fights.
“I still feel like I deal with a little bit of imposter syndrome,” Miller said. “It’s hard for me to even say that stuff. My job is to fight, and that’s what I do. I’m not a matchmaker. I’m not any of that stuff. I’m a fighter, so that’s what I focus my time on.
“I know that I am well-respected and I appreciate the hell out of that, and some of the conversations that I have with guys like Sean Shelby or (Joe) Rogan, I do feel that I’ve earned their respect,” Miller continued. “I still have difficulty making those callouts, like saying, ‘Hey, no more Apex cards for me. Jim always wants the big cards – only numbered events at this point.’ That’s a tough one for me.”
Miller did, however, go out of his way to make a rare callout for his next fight.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury doesn’t look set to change stance on the result of his rematch against unified titleholder Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
On that occasion, “The Gypsy King” was frustrated to fall on the wrong side of a split decision verdict that saw “The Cat” crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champ sine Lennox Lewis was stripped of that status in 2000.
And despite all three scorecards going the way of the Ukrainian second time around — and in a much more convincing fashion — the Brit is once again calling robbery.
During his post-fight press conference after another 12 rounds in the ring with Usyk, Fury questioned the trio of 116-112 scorecards and stated that he believed his hand should have been raised.
“I was quite confident,” Fury said. “I thought I won that fight again. I think I’ve got ‘Larry Holmes’d’ here. I thought I’ve won both fights, but then again I’ve gone home with two losses on my record now, so there’s not much I can do about it. I can just fight my heart out and do the best I can.
“But again, I’ll always believe until the day I die I’ve won that fight,” Fury added.
It remains to be seen what will come next for “The Gypsy King,” who entered the year undefeated in professional boxing and will leave it on a two-fight skid.
While some pundits and former fighters have already backed the idea of retirement for Fury following an illustrious career, plenty were quick to pitch a long-awaited UK showdown with Anthony Joshua, who is also coming off a difficult setback.
MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming cards.
With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.
Between Monday, December 16, and Sunday, December 122, a few fights were made official by the UFC or reported as being in the works by reputable sources, with the most notable being the March 1 main event.
For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:
He has to be quiet, he won't fight for the belt. It will be with me, he will do what we are telling him to do. March 1 Main event https://t.co/rXOMB8awJG
The heavyweight championship rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury took place today, and MMA News has you covered with all the action.
Nine months on from their first showdown, which an undisputed heavyweight king crowned for the first time since Lennox Lewis was stripped of the title in 2000, Usyk and Fury renewed hostilities in Saudi Arabia this week.
The pair collided in a memorable 12-round affair this past May, with the Ukrainian falling on the right side of a split decision to add the WBC title to his WBA (super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring belts.
With “The Cat” vacating the IBF gold a month on from his win over the previously undefeated “Gypsy King,” undisputed status wasn’t on the line today. Nevertheless, Saturday’s rematch in Riyadh wasn’t be short on stakes.
In the end, it was once again Usyk having his hand raised, this time with all three scorecards going in his favor.
Today, it’s time to reveal our second winner, as we determine which athlete among the UFC, PFL, and ONE Championship rosters emerged as 2024’s Male Fighter of the Year.
Voting Panel:
Harvey Leonard, Kyle Dimond, Andrew Starc, Thomas Albano, Ryan Jarrell, Andrew Ravens
Honorable Mentions:
10. Renato Moicano – UFC lightweight contender
9. Belal Muhammad – UFC welterweight champion
8. Joaquin Buckley – UFC welterweight contender
7. Shamil Musaev – PFL welterweight champion
6. Alexandre Pantoja – UFC flyweight champion
Now, on to the five male fighters who received the most votes for this year’s award, including the 2024 winner.
5. Diego Lopes – UFC Featherweight Contender
The highest-ranked non-champion in this year’s award, Diego Lopes has enjoyed a quick rise from prospect to legitimate title contender in MMA’s leading promotion.
The catalyst for that surge was a standout performance on the milestone UFC 300 card this past April, where he stopped veteran Sodiq Yusuff in under 90 seconds. Just two months later, Lopes first accepted a short-notice assignment against Brian Ortega for International Fight Week before accepting an even shorter notice one opposite Dan Ige after “T-City’s” fight-day withdrawal.
A win at UFC 303 ensured the Brazilian was able to keep his sights on the top five, and when the Ortega bout was rebooked for the Sphere in September, Lopes broke through at the expense of the former two-time title challenger.
What the new year will hold for Lopes remains to be seen, with the 29-year-old targeting either Ilia Topuria’s featherweight belt or an interim title clash with Alexander Volkanovski. For now, he’ll be looking back on a memorable 12 months in the UFC.
Image: UFC.com
4. Merab Dvalishvili – UFC Bantamweight Champion
It’s titleholders from here on out, starting with bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili.
A nine-fight winning run and victories over ex-kings José Aldo and Petr Yan wasn’t enough for “The Machine” to enter 2024 with a first shot at gold on the calendar. But that was no worry for “The Machine,” who dominated combat sports legend Henry Cejudo in February to make his case undeniable.
Dvalishvili won’t have long to celebrate his successful 2024, as he’s just weeks away from a first defense against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.
Image: @ufc/Instagram
3. Dricus Du Plessis – UFC Middleweight Champion
Another champion cracking this year’s top five is middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis.
The South African entered 2024 having most recently continued to prove his many doubters wrong in a big way, knocking out the highly regarded Robert Whittaker to earn top contender status. And it didn’t take him long to add champ status to his résumé on MMA’s biggest stage after he narrowly outpointed MMA News’ 2023 Male Fighter of the Year, Sean Strickland.
There are star-making years, and then there’s Alex Pereira’s 2024.
While his middleweight crowning and series with Israel Adesanya established himself as a major name in MMA, “Poatan” has gone above and beyond at 205 pounds this year. In three fights in a record timespan, the Brazilian former kickboxing champ has added Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka (again), and Khalil Rountree to the list of victims who have fallen to his famed power.
From his post-low blow KO and celebration against the confident Hill to his memorable comeback against “The War Horse” — not to mention his results this year coming while saving the UFC at major events — Pereira’s year in the cage would normally leave him as a shoo-in for top spot.
But…
Image: UFC/Zuffa LLC
1. Ilia Topuria – UFC Featherweight Champion
Quality over quantity was the name of the game in this year’s award.
While he fell one win short of Pereira’s run in 2024, Ilia Topuria’s two victories were evidently deemed as more impressive by the majority of the voting panel. After opening his year by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, a featherweight GOAT contender who was previously undefeated in the weight class, “El Matador” became the first person to knock out the great Max Holloway eight months later to record his first successful title defense.
Having brutally dispatched of two names who likely sit on the 145-pound Mount Rushmore for most, Topuria is MMA News’ Male Fighter of the Year.
The major MMA promotions have wrapped up their schedules for 2024, so it’s time to crown this year’s MMA News award winners.
Getting the ball rolling will be the Female Fighter of the Year, as we determine which woman among the UFC, PFL, and ONE Championship rosters stood out from the rest in 2024.
Voting Panel:
Harvey Leonard, Kyle Dimond, Andrew Starc, Thomas Albano, Ryan Jarrell, Andrew Ravens
Honorable Mentions:
8. Zhang Weili – UFC strawweight champion
7. Natália Silva – UFC flyweight contender
6. Virna Jandiroba – UFC strawweight contender
Now, on to the five female fighters who received the most votes for this year’s award, including the 2024 winner.
5. Jasmine Jasudavicius – UFC Flyweight Contender
2024 marked flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius’ third calendar year competing under the UFC banner, and it was by far her best.
After going 1-1 in 2022 and 2-1 in 2023, the Canadian standout enjoyed an unbeaten 3-0 year in the Octagon. After initially bouncing back from her setback against Tracy Cortez by submitting Priscila Cachoeira on home soil this past January, the 35-year-old outpointed highly regarded debutant Fatima Kline in Colorado before getting another finish in front of her compatriots at the expense of Ariane Lipski da Silva.
Having risen to #12 in the rankings with three straight wins, two of which earned her Performance of the Night bonuses, Jasudavicius has earned fifth place in this year’s MMA News award.
MMA legend Cris Cyborg marks one of two fighters to crack the top five with just one fight in 2024.
The former UFC featherweight queen and current Bellator champion spent much of this year expressing discontent at her struggle to secure a debut in the PFL. But that finally came to fruition at the Battle of the Giants pay-per-view in October, where she competed for the inaugural PFL Super Fights featherweight belt against the promotion’s first and only two-weight title winner, Larissa Pacheco.
The 39-year-old showed that she’s got plenty left in the tank, emerging victorious from a brutal five-round battle. In doing so, Cyborg ended Pacheco’s 10-fight win streak, which included a victory over Kayla Harrison and consecutive PFL season triumphs at 155 and 145 pounds.
Image: Jose Peñuela/PFL MMA
3. Valentina Shevchenko – UFC Flyweight Champion
Like Cyborg, another all-time MMA great in Valentina Shevchenko also delivered in a big way with her sole appearance in the cage this year.
After a defeat and draw against Alexa Grasso in 2023, many had written off “Bullet’s” chances of returning to the flyweight throne when she and the Mexican completed their trilogy at Noche UFC inside the Sphere this past September. But more than just proving her detractors wrong, Shevchenko utterly dominated Grasso across five rounds to begin a second reign at 125 pounds.
The top UFC fighter in the 2024 award is Kayla Harrison, whose debut year on MMA’s biggest stage couldn’t have gone much better.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo swapped the PFL for the UFC, arriving in the Octagon for the first time at the milestone UFC 300 event this past April. The 2019 and 2021 PFL title winner was tasked with beating Holly Holm if she was to immediately stake her claim for a bantamweight title shot.
More than just beat the former champion, Harrison ran through her en route to finding the submission finish in round two. And after missing out on the next opportunity at the gold, the Ohio native extended her UFC record to 2-0 by outpointing another top-five contender in Ketlen Vieira.
The rise of Dakota Ditcheva has been quite something, and 2024 saw her break through on the global stage.
After going 3-0 in 2023 to achieve regional title glory under the PFL Europe banner, the British striking specialist set her sights on emerging victorious from the PFL’s inaugural flyweight season. With the likes of Liz Carmouche and Taila Santos on the roster, the year promised to provide answers to those who questioned Ditcheva based on her level of competition.
Through the regular season and semifinal, “Dangerous” dispatched Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop with first-round finishes. Her journey to the championship final in Riyadh last month only boosted the hype — but it increased dramatically when she entered the cage on Nov. 29.
To secure gold and $1 million in prize money, Ditcheva had to get the better of Santos, a longtime top-five contender in the UFC whom many believe deserved the nod over Shevchenko in their 2022 title fight. The undefeated 26-year-old passed the test with flying colors, dominating the Brazilian before blitzing her with body shots in round two for the finish.
With a 4-0 year to capture another PFL title and establish herself as one of the world’s best in MMA at 125 pounds, top spot was only ever going to “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva in 2024.
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has given a somewhat surprising answer when pondering who would be the “most marketable” titleholder for the promotion at 170 pounds.
The welterweight division has finished the year as one of the most talked about weight classes, largely thanks to standout contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry co-headlining UFC 310 in arguably the most highly anticipated fight on the final pay-per-view card of 2024.
The Kazakh star emerged victorious from that, keeping his ‘0’ intact and maintaining his status as top contender, which he was made to defend after an injury forced champion Belal Muhammad out.
During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Cormier explained why the rising Jack Della Maddalena might just be the UFC’s top choice when it comes to a future welterweight champ.
“I think Jack Della Maddalena is one fight away from becoming a guy fighting for the belt,” Cormier said. “If that fight is against Kamaru Usman, he will be rushed into that title fight. Let me tell you something about the UFC: Vince McMahon famously said, ‘I don’t like the UFC because I cannot control the outcome.’ What the UFC will do, they do know how to follow a game plan and they do know star-building.
“So when you get a guy like Jack Della Maddalena who has an entire country behind him, that everybody is excited about, they will find a way to get him into the position if he earns it,” Cormier continued. “So, if he beats a Kamaru Usman, there will be no other obstacle because, if I am being honest with you, right now at 170 (pounds), the most marketable guy as a champion right now is Jack Della Maddalena because of where he’s from, because of the entire country behind him, and because of the way they are excited about him.”
Della Maddalena is currently being brought up in the discussion for Comeback of the Year for 2024, having prevented a certain defeat on the scorecards by knocking Gilbert Burns out with just over a minute left in their fight at UFC 299 this past March.
The Australian hasn’t competed since, and after missing out on a home fight in Perth this year, it appears that the striking specialist may also be absent from the Sydney-held UFC 312 lineup next February following a recent report from Alex Behunin.
JDM vs. Usman is not happening at UFC 312 and unfortunately there’s a good chance JDM will not be on that PPV at all.
Former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has looked to give Kai Kara-France a lesson in mathematics.
Mokaev and Kara-France once looked on a collision course as they plied their trade under the same banner. But that changed this year when the UFC opted not to renew the former’s contract following his controversial fight week in Manchester and subsequent decision win over Manel Kape at UFC 304.
With that, “The Punisher’s” plans to challenge Alexandre Pantoja were squashed, and he’s been made to work his way back to the Octagon elsewhere. That journey began on the front foot this month when Mokaev landed a quick submission at Brave CF 91.
Kara-France, meanwhile, is widely expected to be the man opposite Pantoja in 2025 following his emphatic knockout of recent title challenger Steve Erceg in Perth this past August.
“[Mokaev] is boring, bro. This is fighting. It’s not wrestling. It’s not hugging. Don’t pull someone’s pants down in the middle of a fight,” Kara-France said. “No one pays all this money to see someone just dry hump someone on the ground.”
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take the always vocal Mokaev long to hit back.
In a post on X, “The Punisher” poked holes in Kara-France’s assessment by noting his higher finishing rate on MMA’s biggest stage. He also remarked on the City Kickboxing fighter’s feud with Kape, which almost boiled over at a press conference in Australia last year.
More finishes than you in the UFC bro
Only been in ufc 2 years, had 7 fights and 4 finishes with 2 heavy injuries
“More finishes than you in the UFC, bro,” Mokaev wrote. “Only been in the UFC 2 years, had 7 fights and 4 finishes with 2 heavy injuries. You have been in the UFC 8 years now, do the maths. Kape owns you btw.”
For now, the pair’s animosity can’t be settled inside the Octagon.
But should Kara-France unseat Pantoja next year and Mokaev find himself back under the UFC banner courtesy of a few more standout performances with Brave CF, perhaps the matchup will be back on the table soon enough.
The charging “New Mansa” entered the contest riding momentum from three straight wins earlier in the year, and he remained unbeaten at welterweight at Covington’s expense on Dec. 14.
And that continued during a recent Twitch stream, during which the 36-year-old dismissed any suggestions that he is done in the sport and expressed excitement at the possibility of proving his detractors wrong in 2025.
“I’m motivated, man. I want to prove people wrong,” Covington said. “Dude, that was a bullsh*t stoppage, let’s be honest. I was still in the fight. I was getting takedowns. He was getting slower. None of his punches did any significant damage. … I feel like there was an eye poke or something…an inadvertent one. I couldn’t see, I was out of one eye.
“I’m a warrior. That’s what I signed up for. I love this sh*t. Let me go out on my shield though,” Covington continued. “It was a bullsh*t stoppage. Fake stoppage. Another f*cking cheat job.”
Colby Covington just went OFF on Jon Jones for dissing him after his loss last weekend 😬 pic.twitter.com/iHJbxymju9
While it’s not clear who he’ll be fighting first in 2025, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira says it won’t be the man many see as his biggest threat in the division.
“Poatan,” a former titleholder at 185 pounds, enjoyed a standout year in the Octagon. After being crowned a two-division king last November, the Brazilian successfully defended the 205-pound gold three times in 2024.
Knockout wins over Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka, and Khalil Rountree have left Pereira as a leading candidate for Fighter of the Year. But there remains one point of discussion used by his limited group of detractors.
Even prior to his win over Aleksandar Rakić in October, Ankalaev was seen by many as the most deserving of a title shot. With that not coming to fruition, some concluded that the promotion has been looking to ‘protect’ Pereira from the well-rounded game of the Russian.
And that fire has now had considerable fuel thrown on it.
Despite Ankalaev’s unbeaten run and place on the light heavyweight ladder, Pereira has seemingly heard from the promotion that he won’t be stood opposite the Brazilian next time out.
“It won’t be Ankalaev!” the light heavyweight titleholder wrote on X.
It didn’t take long for a frustrated Ankalaev to appear in the comments section, once again accusing Pereira of deliberately avoiding him by branding the champ a “chicken.”
With a clash with Ankalaev seemingly out of the running, it remains to be seen what will come next for Pereira.
Given that the Russian sits as the clear top contender at 205 pounds, “Poatan’s” recent post could suggest a much-discussed heavyweight venture in pursuit of historic three-weight glory.
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has revealed his choice for Knockout of the Year — and it’s not Max Holloway’s finish of Justin Gaethje.
With mixed martial arts’ leading promotion concluding its schedule for 2024, focus has turned to a number of categories for the annual year-end awards. And perhaps the most discussed is who delivered the top KO across the past 12 months.
Leading the way for most appears to be the top moment from this past April’s milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view, which saw Holloway sleep Gaethje with just one second remaining to capture the symbolic BMF crown.
During a recent appearance on ESPN MMA‘s Good Guy/Bad Guy show with Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, Poirier pointed to featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria’s brutal finish of “Blessed” at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
Explaining his choice, the Louisianan noted Holloway’s status as a fighter yet to be dropped or even hurt significantly on the feet in MMA before October’s numbered event at Etihad Arena.
“Just how elusive (Holloway) is there but also the guys he fought, he’s never been put down,” Poirier said. “Taking big shots and always answering the bell, always getting back up, always showing up to the next round. Never really seen him rocked or stumble that much. And to get put down for the first time after 30-plus UFC fights is, to me, Knockout of the Year.”
The result marks one of two candidates for KO of the Year that Topuria delivered in 2024. Eight months prior, the Spaniard rendered Alexander Volkanovski unconscious in the second round of their title fight in Anaheim.
If former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor wants to record his first win in the boxing ring at the second time of trying next year, Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think Logan Paul would be a smart opponent.
Talk of the next step in McGregor’s combat sports career has largely centered around a UFC return in recent times. That was originally announced toward the start of 2023 ahead of his and Michael Chandler’s battle as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.
But that reality series and two calendar years will have passed by without the Irishman making the walk again. Nevertheless, McGregor has remained steadfast on insisting that his career is not over, and he’s now eyeing up a clash with Chandler for 2025.
First, however, it would appear “The Notorious” has his sights on a surprising assignment in the squared circle.
While it remains to be seen how truthful the Dubliner’s claim is, that hasn’t stopped fans and pundits alike from pondering how a clash with the older Paul brother would play out.
During a recent episode of ESPN‘s First Take, Sports television personality Stephen A. Smith gave his take on the potential matchup.
For McGregor, it didn’t make for good listening…
“I think Logan Paul is going to beat him,” Smith said. “I don’t think that Conor McGregor is a boxer; he’s a striker. So, he’s sitting up there, and he ain’t even throwing his jab. He’s pitter-pattering. You ain’t clipping Logan Paul like that. You’ve got to do more than that.
“We don’t know yet (which size gloves they’re using), but it doesn’t matter. Unless it’s pillows like 16 or 18 ounces, it ain’t going to work. I just think that Logan Paul is bigger, he’s a much bigger man, he’s a more experienced boxer,” Smith continued. “Those big muscles are going to make you a bit slower, and you’ve got to remember that Conor had quickness, he could catch you quick and clip you. That’s not going to be the case in the boxing ring.”
Like younger brother Jake, Logan does have experience in the exhibition and crossover boxing realm. He battled fellow online star and now-business partner KSI twice before later facing a shared opponent with McGregor in Floyd Mayweather. Having gone the distance in that exhibition, “The Maverick” returned to the ring in 2023 to defeat Dillon Danis.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will look to kick off the new year in style when it touches down in Dubai for the first Champions Series event of 2025.
There remains a lot of uncertainty entering 2025, especially regarding the status of a host of Bellator fighters who have made their frustration with their new employers known publicly.
While there hasn’t been much in response to the likes of Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix’s complaints, founder Donn Davis has surfaced on social media to promise that the PFL will stage more cards than ever in the new year.
And this week, the PFL has rolled out the full undercard, mostly made up of rising names from the Middle East.
The organization is reportedly looking to put a late-notice co-headliner together after two matchups announced for Vadim Nemkov fell through. After a clash with Ante Delija was announced despite the Croatian being injured, a heavyweight trilogy versus Corey Anderson was set instead.
That evidently was announced prematurely, too, with the Russian seemingly turning down another battle with the current Bellator light heavyweight titleholder.
Main Card:
Bellator Lightweight Title: Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0) vs. Paul Hughes (13-1)
Featherweight: Khasan Magomedsharipov (10-0) vs. Nathan Kelly (11-2)
Featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov (8-0) vs. Kenny Mokhonoana (5-1)
Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov (8-0) vs. Cleiver Fernandes (9-1)
Preliminary Card:
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (13-8) vs. Ahmed Samy (11-4)
Flyweight: Hadi Omar Al Hussaini (5-1-1) vs. Ruel Pañales (5-2)
Middleweight: Yakub Sulimanov (7-0) vs. Jarrah Al-Selawe (20-7)
Lightweight: John Mitchell (9-2) vs. Souhil Tairi (7-5-1)
Featherweight: Youssef Al Housani (4-1) vs. Assem Ghanem (4-0)
Middleweight: Mostafa Nada (9-3) vs. Haider Khan (8-1)
Lightweight: Mirafzal Akhtamov (7-0-1) vs. Mike Thompson (7-2)
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen will be backing his most recent opponent when champion Merab Dvalishvili’s first title defense rolls around next month.
Dvalishvili will put his 135-pound gold on the line four months on from his crowning, which came at the expense of Sean O’Malley inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere this past September.
If he’s to maintain his grip on the bantamweight belt and add a successful retention to his reign, “The Machine” must become the first to defeat Nurmagomedov — a feat that the highly regarded Sandhagen most recently failed to accomplish.
During a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Sandhagen assessed Dvalishvili’s chances of having his hand raised inside the Intuit Dome early next year.
“The Sandman” was honest in stating that he simply doesn’t see a single path to victory for the current champ. And beyond just his prediction, Sandhagen is actually hoping to see Dvalishvili beaten given how the Georgian’s been talking in recent weeks and months.
“I think that Umar will win. I just can’t see a path for Merab to win,” Sandhagen said. “I don’t think that he’s going to be able to strike with him, but I also don’t think he’ll be able to take him down and control him like he was able to do against O’Malley and against other guys. I don’t see a path to success for Merab.
“I think Umar is going to defend those shots, keep it in the striking realm, and just kind of — Umar’s a sniper, man. People don’t realize just how fast that guy is and how his kicks come out of nowhere,” Sandhagen continued. “Fighting a guy like Merab will be a good opportunity for him to show off a little, and just because Merab’s been talking a lot of sh*t, I kinda want to watch Merab get served up a little bit.”
Former fighter Chael Sonnen has no qualms about Sean Strickland getting the next opportunity at the UFC middleweight title.
The promotion confirmed earlier this month that Strickland will indeed get his shot at redemption opposite reigning 185-pound kingpin Dricus Du Plessis 13 months on from their showdown in Canada this past January.
Confirmation of Strickland’s shot has split opinion. Many expected the chance to go to Khamzat Chimaev after his emphatic submission win over Robert Whittaker, with even the champ himself branding “Borz” his preference.
Sonnen, though, doesn’t think there can be any complaints about the fight going to “Tarzan.”
During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen dismissed any and all claims that Strickland is being handed the chance to return to the throne after his short four-month reign before running into Du Plessis.
And in contrast to many in the MMA community, Sonnen seemingly saw “Tarzan’s” five-round performance opposite Paulo Costa earlier this year as worthy of a shot at the gold that he entered 2024 holding.
“Daniel Cormier asked me what I thought about Sean Strickland being next for Dricus Du Plessis,” Sonnen said. “Excuse me? What do I think about that? That’s a great question to ask me six months ago when Sean Strickland took out Paulo Costa five straight rounds and became the number one contender.
“Do I believe Chimaev should be next? Yes, with the information I have now. But I’m going to get new information that I would like to be able to process the night that Strickland and Du Plessis fight. And not for nothing, if Strickland beats him, we’ve got to go into the trilogy match,” Sonnen continued. “The idea that Sean should somehow be happy, ‘Thank you to the Twittersphere for doing this, thank you to Dana White and Hunter Campbell.’ F you, times three. He took it. Strickland hasn’t been given a damn thing since he got here, and the only things he has are the things that he took.”
Strickland had made it clear in the aftermath of his lackluster win over “Borrachinha” that he would entertain nothing but a second dance with Du Plessis next time out.
While the likes of Whittaker and plenty of fans were surprised to see that stance rewarded by the promotion, “Tarzan” will be heading back Down Under, where he shocked the world in September 2023 by dethroning Israel Adesanya.
Time to bring back from freedom to Australia. 🇺🇸 🇦🇺 👊
Deny Depose Defend.. No idea where this saying is from or who said it but I like. Real catchy….. but no idea.. pic.twitter.com/mUvj8q7YkY
After a dominant opening two rounds for the rising “New Mansa,” a cut sustained early on by “Chaos” proved too severe for him to continue, with the cageside doctor advising referee Dan Miragliotta to wave off the fight in the third frame.
The result has left Covington 2-4 across his last six, 0-4 opposite currently ranked welterweights, and down at #9 in the pecking order.
Given his struggles, many have suggested the 36-year-old has declined and is no longer able to compete with the best the division has to offer.
During the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC veteran Matt Brown questioned whether that might have already been the case prior to the year-ending event in Florida.
“It’s hard to argue he’s really been elite for a while,” Brown said. “He hasn’t done anything elite for a long time. I’m not even sure if the door was already closed. I thought this was kind of his chance to show that he is still an elite welterweight, and he didn’t pass the test. I think that door might have already been closed is the only caveat to that. We’ll see.
“I guess the question is whether he retires. It’s not even whether he’s an elite welterweight anymore. I think that answer’s pretty clear,” Brown continued. “Is he going to stick around? Is he going to keep fighting? Because he’s kind of lived off of his shtick more so than his performances, right?”
Covington was quick to reject any talk of retirement post-fight. On the contrary, he claimed this is “just the beginning.”
With that, it would appear that “Chaos” will be making the walk again in 2025. But after a defeat to a rising name like Buckley, his chances of returning to championship fights have no doubt slimmed significantly.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is planning to guide a prominent member of his team to title glory at the expense of a riled-up Merab Dvalishvili next month.
Dvalishvili has his first defense of the bantamweight title in the calendar, coming four months on from his crowning against Sean O’Malley at the Sphere this past September.
To cement his grip on the crown, the Georgian is tasked with pushing away a challenge from undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of the legendary Khabib.
“The Machine” had been vocal in attempting to dismiss Nurmagomedov’s title claims, branding the Dagestani unworthy of the opportunity despite his five-round triumph over Cory Sandhagen last time out.
During an interview posted by Red Corner MMA on Instagram, Khabib assessed Dvalishvili’s ongoing fury about his cousin being granted a first championship opportunity, questioning whether the Georgian is cut out to occupy a throne on MMA’s biggest stage.
“I think when (Dvalishvili was) beginning his career, he was acting good. When he became champion, he cannot deal with this,” Khabib said. “Because life changing. Before champion and after champion, there is two (lives). You have to deal with this.
“About Umar (getting a) gift — I think Umar deserves (it). I don’t know why Merab (is) nervous,” Khabib continued. “Umar’s here not because he is my cousin. He’s here because he’s 18-0 and 6-0 in the UFC. Umar wants to create his legacy. January 18, he will show why Merab (is) nervous.”
Should Khabib and his team have their way in Los Angeles, Dvalishvili will return to life as a contender soon enough.
But “The Machine” is hell bent on proving his view of Nurmagomedov correct come fight night early next year by emphatically stalling the Russian’s title ambitions in their tracks.
Should it come to fruition, Jake Paul has no doubt that his brother would get the better of former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor inside the boxing ring.
At the end of a year in which he was found liable of assault on a woman who accused him of rape, McGregor’s combat sports future remains uncertain.
The Irishman hasn’t competed in any form since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021. Post-recovery, he initially had a return announced opposite Michael Chandler toward the start of 2023. But their run as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, as well as multiple rumored and official fight dates, passed by without their matchup reaching the cage.
While that’s left many doubting McGregor’s comeback plans, the Dublin native has reiterated his intention of sharing the Octagon with Chandler ahead of 2025. A recent social media post, however, would suggest that’s not his immediate priority.
Reacting to that revelation, Logan’s younger brother, fellow YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, alleged that McGregor’s team have also been attempting to negotiate a clash in the ring with him.
Now it all makes sense why Conor Mcgregor & his management team have been desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate for a fight between us.
As we told them them privately & I’m now saying it publicly…the only way we’re willing to explore me vs Conor in a pro boxing / mma fight…
“Now it all makes sense why Conor Mcgregor & his management team have been desperately trying to get MVP to negotiate for a fight between us,” Paul wrote on X.
Paul continued, outlining what would need to happen for him to accept a showdown with the “washed” UFC star.
“As we told them them privately & I’m now saying it publicly…the only way we’re willing to explore me vs Conor in a pro boxing / mma fight is if Dana White / UFC are at the table directly or make it clear they are ok with discussions.
“Conor is washed. Needs the Paul’s. Logan by however he wants.”
It remains to be seen how much truth there is to McGregor’s post. Logan, who has recently thrived as a professional wrestler with WWE, is yet to comment on the claim.
As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.
And in the aftermath of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Tampa, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.
Men’s Pound-For-Pound: No changes.
Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.
Women’s Strawweight: No changes.
Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick didn’t perform as she had hoped on Saturday night, but she still got the job done over Jamey-Lyn Horth and has returned to the UFC rankings as a result. She’s now at #15, with her entry pushing out Casey O’Neill entirely.
Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.
Flyweight: Manel Kape was among the biggest winners to emerge from 2024’s final event, as he put on a show en route to stopping Bruno Silva with strikes in round three. “Starboy” has subsequently climbed three places to #6. The defeated Brazilian, meanwhile, has dropped one spot behind Charles Johnson (#12) to #13.
Bantamweight: No changes.
Featherweight: No changes.
Lightweight: No changes.
Welterweight: The final UFC winner of this year was Joaquin Buckley, who dominated former interim champion Colby Covington to stake his claim for a title eliminator next time out. The victory has seen “New Mansa” surge three places up the ladder to #6. “Chaos” has gone the same distance the other way, leaving him at #9 and on the brink of exiting the division’s top 10.
There's no one like him! 💥
Since 2020, no UFC fighter has had more KO/TKO wins than Joaquin Buckley (8).
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has become the latest to express joy over Colby Covington’s recent setback inside the cage.
After a third failed attempt at capturing the undisputed welterweight crown against Leon Edwards 12 months ago, Covington returned on short notice in pursuit of a key bounce-back victory.
Though a doctor’s stoppage brought a close to proceedings in round three, many believed the writing was on the wall after “New Mansa” largely beat Covington up for the duration of the main event.
Given his antics on the mic, “Chaos” isn’t short on enemies and detractors. And from those in the fanbase to current welterweight kingpin Belal Muhammad, plenty got a laugh out of Saturday’s headline result.
“Big shoutout to Colby Covington for skipping training to get President Trump ‘ready’—we all appreciate the sacrifice (clown emoji) At least he got to see me win,” Jones wrote on X.
“Bones” later shared a laugh with a responding fan about the litany of excuses Covington often comes up with to explain his defeats.
That’s what I find the most hilarious, listening to what he’s gonna come up with next after getting his ass whooped https://t.co/5EIHcfqqoc
“I know I shouldn’t but it’s just so much fun. It’s amusing watching someone you know hate you fail repeatedly.”
With the result at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, Covington is now 2-4 across his last six and 0-4 against names currently inside the welterweight top 15.
It remains to be seen what comes next for the 36-year-old, but it’s safe to say his chances of a fourth crack at the undisputed belt have slimmed dramatically.
