Welcome to the 2024 year end MMA awards.
2024 Year End Awards
What a year it’s been in mixed-martial arts. From huge knockouts, wild submissions, banger fights and prospects galore, 2024 has been a great year for the sport. UFC dominated the year with massive events and once in a life time shows that wow’d the crowds across the world. But, what was the best of the best for the year? Well, the 2024 Bodyslam MMA Year End Awards are below.
Future Star Of The Year
We kick off the awards with a look into the future. 2024 was a big year for many, but what will 2025 bring? For some, it may bring massive amounts of success. We’re looking ahead for this Future Stars award and this year, your winner is Danny Barlow. Danny made his official UFC debut in 2024 after ending 2023 with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. This year, Danny earned two victories this year, one by knockout, one by decision, and continues to prove his power is no joke. Nicknamed “Left Hand 2 God” for a reason, Danny Barlow is not someone to sleep on. In 2025, keep an eye on this young prospect. Congratulations, Danny Barlow.
Breakout Fighter Of The Year
We move from one young star to another. In 2024, we saw a lot of up and coming talent shine, but it was one specifically that stole the fans hearts. The 2024 Breakout Star Of The Year is none other than Diego Lopes. What a year the young Brazilian has had. In 2024, he has three wins, on three massive cards. From UFC 300, UFC 303 and UFC 306, he’s defeated Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige and Brian Ortega. He’s quickly climbing the ranks of the Featherweight Division and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him with gold in 2025. Congratulations, Diego Lopes.
Moment Of The Year
Speaking of Diego Lopes, he was involved in one of the most badass moments in UFC history. We first acknowledge Diego’s contributions to the moment, because it takes two to tango. But, for the 2024 Moment Of The Year, it’s none other than Dan Ige. At UFC 303, Diego Lopes was out of an opponent (Brian Ortega), when the card was already on-going due to medical issues. The fight was supposed to be the co-main event, but that was no more. Or was it? UFC scrambled to figure out what they were going to do, but Dan Ige made a call and came to the save. On just hours notice, Dan Ige stepped up to the plate and drove to the arena without a game-plan. He talked to the commission, got cleared and stepped up to fight Diego on the shortest notice. Despite his efforts, Dan Ige ended up losing via decision. But, for stepping up that late, Dan is a badass and deserves Moment Of The Year. Congratulations, Dan Ige.
Team Of The Year
2024 was a Brazilian takeover. Fighters from the country were dominant in MMA, but no other team did it like The Fighting Nerds. From Carlos Prates, Caio Borralho, Mauricio Ruffy, Bruna Brasil, Thiago Moises, Jean Silva and so many more, The Fighting Nerds were dominant this year and took the MMA world by storm. From main events, undefeated streaks and unforgettable finishes, The Fighting Nerds takeover is real and they’ve continued to prove it isn’t a fluke. The team has something special and Team Of The Year is well deserved. Congratulations, Fighting Nerds.
Round Of The Year
A lot of fights have been amazing this year, with so many standing out. But, how about a specific round? When you think of then best round, what comes to mind? A late entry hit the game at UFC 309 when Charles Oliveira battled Michael Chandler for the second time in the shows co-main event. For the first four rounds, it was clear that Charles Oliveira was taking home the win, barring some insane comeback. Well, it almost happened. Round 5 was the final round for Chandler to potentially get a finish and churn out a victory, and boy did he try. Chandler gave it his all in the final round, slugging it out with Charles and even dropping him, then pouncing on him to try for a TKO. But, the always slick Oliveira ended up taking the back and looking for a submission. Michael Chandler then decided to just get up with Charles on his back, and jump backwards, slamming Charles down in order to get him off. But, when Charles hung on, Michael just did it again. The action had the crowd going wild and on their feet by the time the fight came to an end. What a round. One that will be remembered for years to come. Round Of The Year. Congratulations, Oliveira and Chandler, Round 5.
Return Of The Year
We were lucky enough to see a lot of returns this year. Khamzat Chimaev returned in a big way, Francis Ngannou made his MMA return in the PFL after years of boxing, and Stipe Miocic made a big return after years on the shelf. But, it was actually Stipe’s opponent that deserves the praise. Jon Jones made his grand return to the heavyweight division after over a year out. Jones was supposed to fight Miocic in November of 2023, but an injury caused a delay. So, November of 2024 saw the return of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 and much like Jones always does, he dominated. Jon disposed of Stipe in round 3 with a spinning kick to the body and sent Stipe into retirement. Jon Jones is still the baddest man on the planet and made a comeback to prove it. Return Of The Year, all Bones. Congratulations, Jon Jones.
Promo Of The Year
A lot of fighters can walk the walk, but can they talk the talk? Maximizing your minutes on a microphone is an underrated part of the sport. Getting the crowd involved and excited will only bring you more eyes. Well, that’s what happened when Bryan Battle took on Kevin Jousett, a Frenchmen, in France and knocked him out. Bryan won the fight and immedietly turned heel as he addressed the crowd. “You think The Butcher was going to lose in a fist fight to a French dude?!” Bryan said, while the crowd boo’d. His promo continued and ended up going viral. This is a no-brainer for Promo Of The Year. Congratulations, Bryan Battle.
Submission Of The Year
Almost every UFC card has a submission finish from at least one fight. Grappling has been a massive part of MMA, and is seemingly only getting bigger. Everyone has such a well versed game nowadays, that a submission can come out of anywhere. But, who did it best in 2024? With all of the circumstances involved, Khamzat Chimaev is Bodyslam’s winner. Chimaev walked into UFC 308 against his toughest test yet in Robert Whittaker, but he made it look easy. Khamzat took Robert down, locked him in a face crank and broke his teeth in order to get the submission win. Doing it in such a dominant fashion has earned him the Submission Of The Year. Congratulations, Khamzat Chimaev.
Knockout Of The Year
With submission finishes, also comes knockouts. Two people throwing hands at powerful speed, someone is bound to go to sleep and we’ve seen plenty of that this year. But, come on, we all know who did it best. At UFC 300, on the biggest stage, Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje battled for the BMF title. And like some Bad M-Fer’s, they went to war. Max was winning the bout, and looked to be on his way to a decision victory. But, with seconds left, Max stepped up, pointed to the center of the octagon and told Gaethje to bring all he had. The two started swinging for the fences and with just a second left, Gaethje was hit and dropped face-first on the canvas. Out cold. A knockout moment that no one will ever forget, and that deserves an award. Knockout Of The Year. Congratulations, Max Holloway.
Fight Of The Year
When two guys just go to war, giving their all, the fans see it and appreciate it every time. That’s exactly what happened inside of The Sphere for UFC 306. The event being a “love letter to Mexico” saw some tough fighters throw hands inside of the unique building. But, that night, no one was tougher than Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber. These two battled and slugged it out for 15 minutes straight. both were rocked, both had highs, both had lows. But, the crowd was on the edge of their seats the entire time for this epic three round clash. Ribovics picked up the decision win and they got a bonus for Fight Of The Night. This fight will never be forgotten. 2024’s Fight Of The Year. Congratulations, Ribovics and Zellhuber.
Rookie Of The Year
UFC is always bringing in an influx of talent. From Dana White’s Contender Series, Looking For A Fight or other regional promotions sending up talent to UFC, there’s hundreds of rookies each year. So, it’s really hard to stand out as Rookie Of The Year. But, one stood a little taller in 2024, and that’s Carlos Prates. Carlos made his debut in 2024 with a second round knockout of Trevin Giles, then went on to gain three more knockouts, including in his first ever main event against Neil Magny, where he put the veteran to sleep. It’s been an insane rookie year for Carlos Prates and he’s only just getting started. He’s also never been past round 2 in the UFC. What a warrior and a well deserved Rookie Of The Year. Congratulations, Carlos Prates.
Female Fighter Of The Year
Women’s MMA has been on the rise in recent years, but, 2024 was fairly quote for the women. Some young prospects have showed out, but nothing super impressive. The champions are fighting only once a year, and no one is standing out. But, there was one story in women’s MMA that stood out. Kayla Harrison went from PFL to UFC in 2024 and made her debut at the biggest show of the year, UFC 300. On that show, she disposed of former champion Holly Holm via submission. She then made a return to face title contender Ketlen Vieira and picked up the win to continue her winning ways in UFC. Kayla is already calling for a title shot, so 2025 could very well be her year, too. 2024 Female Fighter Of The Year. Congratulations, Kayla Harrison.
Male Fighter Of The Year
Last but not least, the Male Fighter Of The Year. From Alex Pereira, to Tom Aspinall, to Jon Jones and even Max Holloway, a lot of people could’ve taken the award this year. But, it had to be Ilia Topuria. Topuria already was a standout with an undefeated record, but he turned up the heat in 2024 and has put the Featherweight division on notice. At UFC 298, a 14-0 Ilia Topuria finally received a title shot against perceived Featherweight G.O.A.T. In just two rounds, Ilia knocked him out and became a 15-0 champion. Then, from one G.O.A.T to another, Ilia had to defend against Max Holloway, who’s never been knocked out, let alone knocked down. That streak was ended when Ilia knocked out Max in round three to cap off UFC 308. With two massive KO wins against two greats, there’s no doubt who the Fighter Of The Year is. Congratulations, Ilia Topuria.
2024 was one hell of a year. Let’s hope 2025 can top it and bring out the best in each fighter.
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