The past 12 months have been an exciting one in the UFC. But for 10 specific fighters, this year has been incredible.
Featured in our list are several reigning UFC champions, including Alex Pereira. A fighting champion if there ever was one. But he is not the only current and sitting UFC champ who had a phenomenal year. Ilia Topuria, Dricus Du Plessis, Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexandre Pantoja all had 2024s to remember.
With that said, let’s take a look at the 10 best UFC fighters this year.
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10. Charles Johnson
Johnson was likely fighting for his UFC career when he stepped into the Octagon in February. All he did was put on a “Fight of the Night” with Azat Maksum, earning a decision to snap a three-fight losing skid. From there, it was the best year of his career. Johnson topped Jake Hadley via decision in May, stopped Joshua Van for another bonus in July, and capped the year with a decision over Su Mudaerji.
9. Nassourdine Imavov
The 29-year-old was able to overcome some trouble back in February to start his strong run. Even though he was deducted a point, Imavov survived vs. Roman Dolidze for a majority decision. He followed that up in June with a fourth-round finish of Jared Cannonier in his second straight main event. A few months later, a decision over Brendan Allen moved his record to 15-4 overall.
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8. Carlos Prates
Perfectly nicknamed “The Nightmare,” Prates was just that for opponents over the past 12 months. He not only went 4-0 in the calendar year, but all four fights earned him “Performance of the Night” bonuses and were finishes.
Prates topped Trevin Giles in the second round with a knockout, stopped Charles Radtke in the first with a knee to the body, and downed Li Jingliang in the second. This past November, he took out contender Neil Magny in the first round for his 21st career win, stretching his win streak to 11 in a row.
7. Diego Lopes
Following a perfect 2024, a shot at the title could be in store for Lopes. He opened his year with a first-round finish of Sodiq Yusuff in just 99 seconds. From there, a decision over Dan Ige was added to the resume, as he improved to 25-6 overall. This past September, Lopes had his biggest fight yet, taking on former title challenger Brian Ortega. After three rounds and 15 minutes, he was declared the winner, pushing his win streak to five overall.
6. Merab Dvalishvili
The reigning UFC bantamweight champion earned his shot at the belt by besting three straight former champions. That run included a February decision over former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. From there, Dvalishvili turned his momentum into a title fight with Sean O’Malley, dominating the champion to score the belt via decision. He is now 18-4 overall and on an 11-fight win streak heading into 2025.
5. Dricus Du Plessis
The 30-year-old South African made the most of his first shot at UFC gold in 2024. Back in January, du Plessis matched up with Sean Strickland, earning himself a split decision and the middleweight title in a “Fight of the Night” shown. The win marked his ninth in a row and first decision since 2022.
Midway through the year, du Plessis was called into action. In August, he defended his belt from Perth, Australia over former champion Israel Adesanya. A face-crank ended the fight in the fourth and kept du Plessis unbeaten in the UFC over eight appearances.
4. Joaquin Buckley
One of the most active fighters in the UFC, Buckley had himself a 4-0 year in 2024 that included three finishes. He kicked things off in March with a second-round stoppage vs. Vicente Luque. From there, Buckley scored a decision in May over Nursulton Ruziboev.
This past October, he landed a perfect punch on former title challenger Stephen Thompson for a third-round finish. That earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus. To cap off the run, Buckley stopped former interim champion and title challenger Colby Covington in the final UFC show of the year for his sixth straight win.
3. Alexandre Pantoja
The man who just keeps winning, reigning UFC flyweight champion Pantoja had a perfect 2024. He has now won his last seven fights overall including two title defenses in the past year. Pantoja topped Steve Erceg in May for his second defense overall.
In December, Pantoja took on UFC newcomer Kai Asakura in a bout many wondered if he could solve the unknown. Well, he did, locking up a rear-naked choke in the second round to earn his 29th career win and third successful defense while picking up a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
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2. Ilia Topuria
Topuria, just 27 years old, has quickly positioned himself near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. He earned both his first UFC title and successful defense in 2024. Back in February, Topuria stunned Alexander Volkanovski, finishing him in the second round to win the featherweight title.
In October, it was time to defend that belt. Topuria took on Hall of Fame Max Holloway and knocked “Blessed” out in the third round. He is now 16-0 overall with the last eight of those coming in the UFC. Overall, 14 of his 16 wins have been finishes including six inside the Octagon.
1. Alex Pereira
The 37-year-old Pereira successfully defended his light heavyweight championship three times this past year. He kicked things off in April with a first-round knockout of former champion Jamahal Hill. From there, it was a second-round finish by Jiri Prochazka that earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Not wanting to just be satisfied, Pereira took another title defense against Khalil Rountree Jr. in October. Following three-plus rounds of action, he finished Rountree to earn a “Fight of the Night” award. Pereira is now 12-2 and has won his last five fights overall.
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