MMA 2024 awards: Alex Pereira and Max Holloway shine

We saw possibly the greatest knockout in MMA history — authored boldly by one fighter with the unspoken cooperation of the other — punctuate a fight for the ages. Then there was the iconic KO and celebration that helped establish a stoic UFC champion as perhaps the sport’s most revered star. And there also was the Octagon debut of a two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka, who stepped in with a former world champion in both MMA and boxing, and looked like the future.

All of that happened one April night at UFC 300.

The milestone event was filled with big moments, but the rest of 2024 had its share between the other 41 UFC fight cards and the 24 held by the PFL and Bellator.

What were the biggest achievements of the year? The most stirring fights and most outstanding fighters? The newcomers and breakouts as well as those stepping proud on the comeback trail? Once again, ESPN is handing out end-of-year awards, with analysis on each from Andreas Hale, Brett Okamoto and Jeff Wagenheim.

Editor’s note: ESPN polled an 18-member panel of voters for these awards.

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Men’s fighter of the year: Alex Pereira

Okamoto: This was the year of “Chama” in mixed martial arts. Not only did Pereira put together the best campaign of 2024, he put together one of the best 12-month stretches of all time. What the UFC light heavyweight champion accomplished is hard to compare to some other Fighter of the Year runs, because it was a wild combination of amazing performances and his willingness to accept challenges on short notice. Pereira headlined UFC 300 in April with a broken toe, when the UFC ran out of other marquee options. He headlined UFC 303 in a rematch against Jiří Procházka just 77 days later, after Conor McGregor withdrew with, ironically, a broken toe. Pereira went to elevation in Salt Lake City in October for the second time in two years, and withstood a very game attempt at his throne from Khalil Rountree Jr. Having three knockouts at the highest level is extremely difficult on its own, but Fighter of the Year can also encapsulate a fighter’s mindset — and Pereira was simply unshakeable. He’s a bona fide global star, and he more than acted like one this year.

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Non-UFC men’s fighter: Francis Ngannou

Hale: Ngannou’s return to MMA after a lucrative detour into boxing and the tragic passing of his 15-month-old son could have gone awry. Instead, Ngannou ended his two years of inactivity in MMA with an emphatic first-round destruction of 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira.

It was the old Ngannou with a few new wrinkles added to his game. He used his wrestling to get Ferreira to the canvas and bludgeoned Ferreira with ground-and-pound to pick up the win and prove that he was still the baddest man on the planet. Considering all that Ngannou had gone through in and out of the cage with injuries, contractual disputes, picking up a new craft, and tragedy, the idea that the 38-year-old would still be the frightening force that we knew him as three years prior was remote at best and farfetched at worst. But Ngannou stood tall and proved that not every accomplished fighter has to stay in the UFC to succeed.

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Women’s fighter of the year: Kayla Harrison

Okamoto: The year started with the UFC announcing it had signed Harrison in January, and the two-time Olympic gold medalist completely lived up to expectations in 2024. Which wasn’t easy to do, considering anything short of complete dominance would have felt like a letdown. Let’s make sure we mention, right off the bat, that Harrison had never competed at 135 pounds before 2024. So, the fact she successfully made the weight twice in a six-month span is worth noting. She went on to take out two seasoned, legitimate contenders in Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, and is lined up for a title shot in 2025. She also laid the groundwork for perhaps her biggest coup yet — enticing all-time great Amanda Nunes out of retirement. The Lioness paid close attention to Harrison in 2024, and it feels quite possible she might eventually face her.

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Non-UFC women’s fighter of the year: Dakota Ditcheva

Wagenheim: Ditcheva went 4-0 in 2024, but what sets her apart is quality, not quantity. On her way to winning the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight season championship, the undefeated Brit knocked out both of her regular-season opponents in the first round. Then she did the same to Jena Bishop in the opening round of the playoffs. In last month’s final, Ditcheva scored another knockout for the most impressive win of her career, defeating onetime UFC title challenger Taila Santos. That $1 million victory ran Ditcheva’s record to 14-0, demonstrating that she’s the real deal. Her kickboxing is at an especially high level, as her slick footwork keeps her in ideal striking distance and her well-timed, well-aimed attacks target both body and head. The PFL has a star on its hands, and it will be fascinating to see if the promotion can build her.

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Fight of the year: Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway, UFC 300

Hale: On paper, this had BMF written all over it. However, many thought that Holloway climbing back up to the lightweight division was a bad idea with Gaethje standing opposite him. Instead, Holloway turned in a masterful performance against “The Highlight” that had fans holding their breath during every exchange. A spinning back kick that broke Gaethje’s nose at the end of the first round was a game changer but it didn’t stop the former interim lightweight champion from pressing forward and winging strikes with horrible intentions.

Holloway was brilliant on this night and used his movement to stay out of danger but sat in the pocket when necessary to fend off Gaethje’s whirlwind of punches. Although Holloway had the victory in the palm of his hand, Gaethje refused to back down and it set the table for the most dramatic finish in UFC history. With less than 20 seconds left, Holloway beckoned his opponent to the middle of the Octagon for a brawl and Gaethje obliged. A typhoon of punches between the two followed with Holloway sending Gaethje to the canvas face-first with a right hand at the buzzer, sending the crowd at T-Mobile Arena into a frenzy.

“I sell holy s— moments for a living,” UFC CEO Dana White said afterward.

This was the epitome of that statement.

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Best knockout: Max Holloway KOs Justin Gaethje, UFC 300

Okamoto: It’s hard to see anything ever topping this as the greatest knockout in UFC history. The timing of it was perfect. In the final second (of what many viewed as the main event) of UFC 300, in a fight for the BMF belt — a title that literally rewards badass-ness — Holloway points to the ground in the center of the Octagon and knocks out one of the most feared hitters of his generation. It’s just a combination of circumstances that will (almost certainly) never be replicated. Holloway has won five title fights in the UFC and is considered one of the greatest featherweights of all time, and yet this will likely go down as the pinnacle of his career — a nontitle bout outside of his weight class.

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Best submission: Dricus Du Plessis submits Israel Adesanya, UFC 305

Hale: Few people had Adesanya losing by submission to Du Plessis on their bingo card when this fight was booked to headline UFC 305. But the submission cemented Du Plessis as the man at 185 pounds. After winning a controversial split decision to claim the middleweight title over Sean Strickland, there were questions regarding Du Plessis’ rise and whether he would be a transitional champion once Adesanya returned from his self-imposed hiatus. After three closely contested rounds, it appeared that Adesanya had the upper hand as his body shots wore down the champion, the South African dug deep and stunned “The Last Stylebender” with consecutive hooks. Known for power over technique, Du Plessis muscled Adesanya to the canvas, wrapped his bicep around the challenger’s face and squeezed until he became the first fighter to force Adesanya to submit. It was a stunning sight but one that certified his claim as the best 185-pounder in the world.

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Best moment: Alex Pereira passes on ref’s intervention, KOs Jamahal Hill, UFC 300

Wagenheim: How good is Pereira? He showed at UFC 300 that he can stop not one but two men within a matter of seconds. The first was referee Herb Dean, who started to move in to pause the action after Pereira took a kick to the groin from Hill in their light heavyweight title fight. But Pereira didn’t need a break to recover. The champ was locked in. His eyes never leaving Hill, Pereira raised his right hand to wave off the referee. So Dean backed away, and the fighters touched gloves, then kept fighting. Briefly. After parrying lead hands a couple of times, both men threw a left hand, and Pereira’s landed flush. Hill went down, and Pereira followed with punches on the mat until the ref jumped in to wave off the fight. But Pereira wasn’t done. He stood over Hill and motioned down with his hands in a “See what I did here?” gesture. Yes, Alex, we saw what you did, and it was a thing of beauty. Hill later claimed that Pereira had somehow gained an advantage from the fight not being paused. Hill apparently forgot what Dean had told both men at center cage after introductions: “Protect yourself at all times.”

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Breakout fighter: Diego Lopes

Hale: With his outstanding performances and his exceptional mullet, Lopes has captured the attention of everyone in the MMA world after an eyebrow-raising 2024. It’s not that people weren’t aware of his potential; it was how quickly he stepped into those expectations. His 90-second blitzing of Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 put the featherweight division on notice. But his willingness to fight Dan Ige on a few hours’ notice when Brian Ortega was pulled from UFC 303 set the stage for Lopes’ breakout year. The massive risk paid off and Lopes was rewarded at Noche UFC with a rebooked fight against Ortega that he dominated to prove he was worthy of title contention. With the 145-pound division experiencing a changing of the guard in 2024, Lopes will look to exchange his potential for realizing his dream of becoming a world champion in 2025.

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Most improved: Dan Hooker

Okamoto: This sport is very quick to judge an athlete. A fighter can be “the next big thing” to start a year and considered “washed” by the end of it. So, sometimes, it’s best to take the running narrative about any fighter with a grain of salt. That said, no one can be blamed for thinking Hooker’s best days were behind him in recent years. He went 1-4 in a five-fight stretch — and when he suffered a first-round defeat to Arnold Allen in 2022, in a featherweight fight that was meant to be a fresh start, it felt like he was light-years away from title relevance. Hooker’s upset of Mateusz Gamrot in 2024 was one of the biggest individual wins of the entire year. It embodied Hooker’s best attributes, his spirit, his willingness to make things dirty and his ability to break people. Gamrot has never held a belt but his wrestling makes him a favorite against nearly everyone in the division. He’s a monumental task. And it really didn’t feel like the Hooker of 2022 would have been able to overcome it. This 2024 version, though, is a different fighter in every facet of the game.

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Best newcomer: Carlos Prates

Hale: Prates, 31, entered 2024 as one of the many signees from “Dana White’s Contender Series.” Still, he made a name for himself by tearing through the opposition with a 4-0 record and four consecutive Performance of the Night Bonuses. “The Nightmare” kicked off his monster 2024 campaign by crushing Trevin Giles with a straight right hand for a second-round finish in March, blasted Charles Radtke with a knee to the body in June and then became the first fighter to knock out Li Jingliang in August. To cap off a tremendous year, “The Fighting Nerds” striker put away Neil Magny in the first round as the headliner in November. From unranked to the UFC’s No. 13 ranked welterweight, Prates could find his way into title contention by this time next year.

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Team/coach of the year: The Fighting Nerds

Wagenheim: The best UFC fighters from this Brazilian team could be lumped together as a Big Four, but a more descriptive — and impressive — name would be the Big Eleven. Welterweight Carlos Prates went 4-0 in 2024, all knockouts. Featherweight Jean Silva was 3-0 with three KOs, most recently putting Drew Dober’s lights out in July. Both middleweight Caio Borralho and lightweight Mauricio Ruffy had 2-0 years. That’s 11-0 in ’24 for the top tier of fighters from the gym in Sao Paulo. A gimmick of wearing taped-up nerd glasses inside the Octagon is fine and all, but it works only when celebrating a victory. That’s something we’ve seen a lot of from this team, whose leading nerds had a perfect year in the cage. The Fighting Nerds don’t have anyone on the verge of a title shot, but hold onto your pocket protectors, folks: These guys are building something good.

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Best card: UFC 300

Okamoto: Looking back, it seems absurd that White was essentially forced into defending the lineup of UFC 300. On the other hand, it’s understandable. UFC 300 was considered such a landmark event, that fans would only be happy if it featured the return of its lost superstar Conor McGregor. Once McGregor’s absence was accepted, fans started to see how stacked this card was. It featured four of the top 10 fighters of all time in performance bonuses, including the king of bonuses, Charles Oliveira. The card’s opening bout featured former champions Cody Garbrandt and Deiveson Figueiredo, the only time that has ever happened in UFC history — and I’d bet it never happens again. Nearly half (46%) of the fighters on the card were champions or former champions. It was, by many accounts, the deepest card the UFC has ever put on.