The UFC produced 42 events across 21 different cities spanning nine different countries in 2024. It’s still amazing to see how big the promotion has grown since its inception.
The year was packed with epic moments, and many of them were captured by world-class photographers. Here are the year-defining pics from the UFC in 2024.
January
Dricus du Plessis Outduels Sean Strickland – UFC 297 in Toronto
This image looks like an A.I. rendering since most of those apps don’t know how to make natural-looking imagery of MMA yet. However, this one is real. DDP and Strickland engaged in a tactical battle to headline the first pay-per-view of the year, with DDP capturing the title.
Some, including UFC President Dana White, felt Strickland did enough to win, but the split decision went DDP’s way.
Amanda Nunes Watches Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno-Silva Fight for the Title She Vacated
I’m not sure what Nunes was thinking in this photo as she watched Pennington and Silva put on one of the worst performances in a championship fight in UFC history, but the look on her face mirrors the expression on most MMA fans’ faces during this disaster.
Pennington won the title, but we all immediately missed Nunes when we realized what she left us in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
February
Ilia Topuria Has Arrived – UFC 298 in Anaheim
We couldn’t believe it either, Ilia.
Topuria has proven to be one of the best fighters in the world, but Alexander Volkanovski had become one of those athletes it was almost impossible to picture defeated—let alone knocked out.
We’d now seen it twice in a row because Volk was coming off the head-kick KO loss to Islam Makhachev four months before. Two months into 2024, we had already seen three new champions crowned.
UFC 298 is one of the low-key best fight cards of the year.
Thirteen of the 24 fighters on that card are currently ranked. Four of the 11 that aren’t (Oban Elliott, Zhang Mingyang, Rinya Nakamura and Danny Barlow) are among the fastest-rising fighters in their respective weight classes.
March
Suga’s Revenge – UFC 299 in Miami
I don’t think anyone is sure how this knee to Marlon Vera’s face didn’t end the fight, but it didn’t. In any case, O’Malley avenged what was his only loss at the time with a unanimous decision win.
However, it should be noted Vera landed a body shot on O’Malley in the fifth round that could have changed the fight if it had happened a round—or even a minute—earlier. Still, O’Malley got his revenge in Miami.
The Diamond Shines – UFC 299 in Miami
Few moments are more memorable than when a legend shows they still have a lot left in the tank. Poirier had lost by vicious head kick in July 2023 to Justin Gaethje. With many wondering if he was still among the elite, Poirier took on the next big thing in the division and proved he was still pretty big himself.
Poirier’s KO of Benoit Saint-Denis may not be a fraud check, but it was definitely a moment when we were reminded, there are levels to this game.
April
Alex Pereira: “Any More Questions?” – UFC 300 in Las Vegas
UFC 300 was a vibe.
In the main event, Pereira shook off a cup shot and promptly knocked Jamahal Hill senseless with his signature left hook. Pereira immediately channeled his inner Khaby Lame with one of the most awesomely disrespectful yet subtly cool post-fight celebrations you’ll ever see.
As crazy as this moment was in the main event, it wasn’t even the most memorable moment of the night.
Max Holloway Made Me Care – UFC 300 in Las Vegas
Can I be honest?
I never cared about the BMF title before Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje in the most epic finish in combat sports history. From pointing to the ground, to delivering a finish that would be tough to copy in EA UFC 5, Holloway didn’t just steal the show at UFC 300; he stole the combat sports show for the year–and he did it in April.
May
Erceg Might Have Given it Away – UFC 301 in Rio de Janiero
Don’t get it twisted.
UFC 301 was probably the worst UFC pay-per-view card of 2024—at least on paper. The main event featured UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his title against No. 10-ranked Steve Erceg.
It’s odd to see a contender ranked so low get a title shot, but Pantoja has nearly cleaned out his division. That dynamic creates unique title-challenge situations.
No matter how rare the situation, Erceg fought a nearly perfect fight and was in position to upset and dethrone Pantoja heading into the fifth round. Erceg had outboxed Pantoja and dealt with the champion’s grappling attempts.
In the fifth, Erceg allowed himself into a grappling situation that he could have avoided. He lost the fifth round, which turned out to be the deciding frame on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Had he won the fifth round, Erceg would have beaten Pantoja by split decision and claimed the title.
The image above is from Erceg’s post-fight interview, taken moments after he admitted he knows he blew the last round.
June
New Gloves Would Become the Old Gloves
The UFC made a major production of their switch to new branded gloves that were supposed to reduce eye pokes. They were also branded to fit the various UFC programs.
Welp, that lasted less than six months as the gloves were scrapped in November, just ahead of UFC 309. Dana White announced during a November press conference, “The new gloves are now the old gloves.”
Makhachev is Really Good At Fighting – UFC 302 in Newark
Some fans will remember the D’Arce choke Makhachev used to submit Poirier in the main event. I’ll remember the unbelievable leg whip he used to secure the takedown that set up the D’Arce.
I’ve been covering MMA for 17 years and have watched it for more than 30, and I cannot recall seeing someone use this technique to set up a takedown. Poirier told Makhachev the same thing when they spoke backstage.
Makhachev is different.
Conor McGregor Leaves Michael Chandler Holding the Bag – UFC 303 in Las Vegas
McGregor was supposed to fight Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 for International Fight Week, but a toe injury kept the former out. Chandler had been waiting for nearly two years to fight McGregor, but it began to look like a fight that would never happen.
Perhaps Chandler should’ve known not to take McGregor seriously the moment he wore this hat (which belonged to contestant Mando Gutierrez) on the set of The Ultimate Fighter.
Pereira To the Rescue – UFC 303 in Las Vegas
No Conor, no problem. Pereira continued to grow his status as one of the greatest stars in MMA as he stepped in to main event UFC 303 in McGregor’s absence.
Pereira destroyed former champion Jiri Prochazka with a left head-kick. To make things more awesome, Pereira told his coach he was going to knock Prochazka out with this kick before the round started.
July
Belal Behind Enemy Lines – UFC 304 in London
Belal Muhammad waited years for another shot at Leon Edwards. After their first fight ended in a no contest because of an eye poke, Muhammad got his opportunity and made the most of it.
He dethroned Edwards in the champion’s home country. A mauling style complemented by much-improved boxing pushed Muhammad to the unanimous decision victory.
Edwards had an excellent fifth round, but this time, his late push came too late.
Tom Aspinall Calls Jon Jones Out – UFC 304 in London
Aspinall calling out Jones became one of the biggest storylines of the second half of the year. The callout gained steam when Aspinall defeated Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, avenging the only loss of his career.
Little did we know how constant this story would become throughout the year.
August
DDP Beats Izzy in Grudge Match, and They Squash the Beef – UFC 305 in Perth
Many feuds in combat sports are relatively harmless and can be chalked up to competitive hype. The one between Adesanya and Du Plessis, however, had a strong racial undertone that made it uncomfortable.
When the two finally met in the Octagon in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, DDP won via submission—a tough moment for hardcore Adesanya fans. However, the best part of the night was seeing the two men show respect to each other after the fight, burying a pretty nasty hatchet.
September
UFC Pulls Out All the Stops for the Sphere – Noche UFC 306 – Las Vegas
This image captures one of the Octagon girls dressed in an outfit honoring Mexican culture. The entire event was staged to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, and the show was an absolute spectacle for everyone present at The Sphere.
Merab is Overjoyed – Noche UFC 306 – Las Vegas
It’s great to see this level of elation after an achievement as difficult as becoming world champion. Merab Dvalishvili rode his dominant wrestling and relentless pace to defeat O’Malley and claim the bantamweight title.
Fight of the Year – Noche UFC 306 – Las Vegas
There were countless great fights in 2024, but Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber is near—or at—the top of the list.
While Dvalishvili-O’Malley and Shevchenko-Grasso were memorable championship fights with new champions crowned in both, Ribovics and Zellhuber stole the show with a back-and-forth war fitting for the occasion and unbelievable to witness.
October
Pereira Pounds a Game Rountree – UFC 307 – Salt Lake City
The number of memorable moments Pereira had in 2024 is pretty amazing. In the main event of UFC 307, Pereira stopped Khalil Rountree in the fourth round of an epic fight in Utah.
Rountree dropped Pereira and was making a good account of himself before the champion’s onslaught, slickness and ease of attack overwhelmed the challenger. I’ve never seen a more busted-up fighter look so happy.
Julianna Pena Comes to Our Rescue – UFC 307 in Salt Lake City
Remember that issue that popped up in January and the women’s bantamweight division? Well, Pena fixed it for us with a unanimous decision win over Pennington.
Pena has the goods. She’s an outstanding fighter who owns a stoppage win over Nunes. Pena is now a two-time champion, only her and Nunes have ever accomplished that feat, and she knows how to market herself and her fights.
She also got a new dance partner at the same event.
Kayla’s Biggest Opponent – UFC 307 in Salt Lake City
Kayla Harrison is that dance partner for Pena. She’s a dynamic fighter who is one of the UFC’s best recent free-agent signings.
Unfortunately, the UFC doesn’t have a featherweight division, so Harrison has to tax herself to make 135 to compete in the No. 1 promotion in the world. This image is important because at this point, the scale may be Harrison’s toughest opponent in the UFC.
Unless, Nunes comes back as she has been teasing over the past few months. Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision at UFC 307.
Double What? – UFC 308 in UAE
A double spinning backfist is crazy.
It’s like a combo you learn with Ryu in Street Fighter. Shara Magomedov landed it and finished Armen Petrosyan with it at UFC 308.
The buzz around Shara Bullet was building, but this finish took it to another level.
Khamzat Chimaev Did What to Robert Whittaker? – UFC 308 in UAE
It’s rare to see Whittaker dominated, but we have never seen anyone literally run across the Octagon, tackle him, take his back and then submit him with a hellacious rear-naked choke.
Chimaev didn’t just submit Whittaker, he collapsed his lower-level teeth in the process. All things considered, this was the best submission of the year.
Ilia is For Real – UFC 308 at UAE
We’d never seen Holloway knocked out before UFC 308. Topuria made his final push for Fighter of the Year with his historic finish of the former featherweight king.
Pereira is still my choice for FOTY, but Topuria is a very close second and his memorable finish is a big reason.
November
Jones Retires Miocic, Aspinall is Watching – UFC 309 in New York
The G.O.A.T Jon Jones smashed Stipe Miocic into retirement in the UFC 309 main event at Madison Square Garden. Most expected Jones to win, though the spinning back kick he landed was a reminder of how good the heavyweight champion is at his craft.
Aspinall was in the audience, watching and waiting for his opportunity.
Chandler’s Moment – UFC 309 in New York
Chandler didn’t win much in 2024. He missed out on a fight with McGregor and fought Oliveira at UFC 309, losing again. However, he did have a truly cinematic moment in the final round.
With Oliveira on his back chasing a submission, Chandler repeatedly slammed the Brazilian to the canvas while the MSG crowd erupted.
It was like a scripted WWE moment designed to put the loser over.
December
Not on My Watch – UFC 310 in Las Vegas
Pantoja heard all about Kai Asakura’s action-packed style and dangerous knees, but the proud Brazilian champion wasn’t about to let Asakura come from Rizin, unranked, and take his belt in his promotional debut.
The fight was the main event of UFC 310, originally the co-main before Belal Muhammad’s injury pushed it up.
Pantoja exposed Asakura’s biggest weakness and showed why he remains one of the most underrated champions in the UFC.
Whose ready for 2025?
