2024 was a power-packed year, with last-moment knockouts to last-moment matchups, we saw it all. We saw Conor McGregor getting ready to fight again, only to leave Michael Chandler hanging with a pull-out. We witnessed Dana White lashing out at everyone who thought Jon Jones shouldn’t be the one at the top of the P4P list. And the list goes on. 

So today, we decided to get you an end-of-the-present with a list of the top 10 moments that shocked us all, ranked from best to worst. So without any ado, let’s get right into it!

1. Max Holloway knocks Justin Gaethje at the last second

We have to admit, the buzzer-beater KO at UFC 300 was worthy of getting highlighted as the moment of the year. Towards the end of the bout, Holloway started throwing a barrage of fists, leaving ‘The Highlight’ with his guard up and trying to defend himself. The scorecard was already tilted in favor of Holloway. But it seemed like the fight for the BMF title demanded much more than just a decision win for Holloway. Call it luck or perfect timing, but when Holloway sent Gaethje to sleep at the last second of the last round, the entire world was left stunned. 

Moments like that are what make the UFC so entertaining. Who could have expected to witness a KO at 4:59 of round 5? No wonder it was Max Holloway who became the BMF champion. We snapped back to reality when ‘Blessed’, who must have been as surprised as we were, shouted out loud, urging the fighting community to cheer with him.

UFC 300 had already shocked the world with a massive gate of $16,508,823. It was indeed a record-breaking event for T-Mobile Arena. But it was the fight for the BMF title that truly impressed the realm of mixed martial arts. 

1. UFC’s debut at the Sphere, Las Vegas

UFC 306 was by far the best cinematic experience for fans like us. It wasn’t just the fights that impressed the fighting community, but also the short films that Dana White managed to squeeze in between the fights in the main card. Needless to say, it was something that no one had previously thought of. Prof. Dumbledore would certainly give 10 points to UFC for Dana White’s innovative thinking. 

The prices for the tickets to Noche UFC The Sphere were skyrocketing. But the fans’ curiosity to witness White’s $20 million project worked wonders. For those who were watching the event from the comfort of their homes, it was nothing short of a movie-like experience. But the ones inside the Sphere knew the trance that the visuals sent through the crowd.

But one more instance put UFC Sphere in the second spot. It was a moment during the main event fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. The fight witnessed ‘The Machine’ planting a couple of kisses on O’Malley’s back while trying to take him down. Herb Dean, the referee in charge asked Dvalishvili to stop it, but he thought that the round was over. What a stupid mistake! He was met with a punch from the back as ‘Suga’ sent a final strike before the buzzer rang. 

1. Dustin Poirier’s victory over Benoit Saint-Denis

Let’s be honest. Not many of us predicted that Dustin Poirier would emerge victorious against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299. The French mixed martial artist was 6 years younger than ‘The Diamond’ and exerted dominance through the bout. But do you remember the blows Poirier landed while Saint-Denis had his back under control? Well, there’s a reason why we call him ‘The Diamond’. Even though the Frenchman seemed to be winning through his impeccable grappling skills, it was Poirier’s fist that brought Saint-Denis down in the 2nd round. 

If we look at the scorecards, it was Saint-Denis who was winning the bout. But his fate was determined when he got dropped by Poirier, seconds before the knockout. This was the bout that got ‘The Diamond’ to a title fight against Islam Makhachev. However, his knockout power couldn’t help him at UFC 302 against the lightweight champion.

1. Tajik fighter convinces Dana White to give him a chance at a press conference

This was probably the first time when Dana White gave someone a golden ticket to the UFC. During the pre-fight press conference for UFC 308, a fighter from Tajikistan, named Dorobshokh Nabotov, grabbed the opportunity to ask White for a chance in the UFC. It was indeed an ill-timed move by the 25-year-old fighter. The Tajik said, “Please give me [a] chance Dana. I want to fight in UFC – please give me – I’m ready to show. I want to fight.”

But the UFC CEO agreed to give him a chance. After all, he was impressed by his undefeated streak. It was nothing short of a shocker for the MMA realm. But things like these oftentimes don’t turn out good. And despite getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Nabotov lost it all following his defeat against Matheus Camilo, under the banner of ZFN. 

This urged White to sign Camilo instead of Nabotov. On top of that, ‘The Korean Zombie’ told the UFC CEO that the Tajik was causing problems before the fight. And all White had to say about it was, “It played out the way it should’ve.”

1. Dan Ige takes up a fight against Diego Lopes on a 2-hour notice

UFC 303 was an event with apparently the most iconic pullouts of the year. But what impressed the fight fans was the way fighters joined in to compete at the last moment. Diego Lopes was initially set to fight Brian Ortega at the event, but unfortunately, Ortega fell sick with tremors and fever running through his body. He was unable to compete and had to pull out of the fight just 2 hours before the fight. On top of that, the bout witnessed some drastic changes in weight, as well. 

Thankfully, the event was saved by Dan Ige, who jumped in to accept a fight against Lopes. It was indeed the shortest notice ever. And even though he couldn’t win against the Brazilian fighter, Ige’s bravery got him a boatload of appreciation and a new contract with more money. ‘50K’ must be really proud of himself. 

But the event also made the world wonder how was Ige permitted to weigh in backstage on the eve of the fight. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a golden opportunity for both Ige and Lopes. While Ige went home with a heavier bank balance, Lopes went on a rise and got to the 3rd spot in the featherweight rankings. 

1. Ilia Topuria’s KO victory against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway

2024 began with Ilia Topuria snatching the featherweight belt from Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. ‘The Great’ had been dominating the featherweight realm for a long time, with the P4P rankings and the featherweight kingdom under his control. But things began to change for him ever since he lost the fight against Islam Makhachev. But not many of us thought that he would go down against ‘El Matador’. The entire fanbase gasped when Topuria sent Volkanovski to sleep with his punches in the second round. 

But the reign of Topuria didn’t fade. He went on to defend his featherweight title against Holloway at UFC 308. With Holloway’s last-second KO win still in our minds, we expected him to knock ‘El Matador’ out. But it was the other way around. Topuria defended his belt successfully by knocking out Holloway in the third round. It was heartbreaking, but Topuria was clearly the winner. Come 2025, we might witness even more such instances. 

1. Dricus Du Plessis settles the ‘real African’ debate with a win over Israel Adesanya

Dricus Du Plessis got himself involved in a pretty heated debate with Israel Adesanya as he declared that the UFC belt has never really entered Africa, until he took it home. ‘The Last Stylebender’ took this as an ultimate disrespect to him, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru Usman. He had to settle the scores with DDP inside the Octagon. But little did he know that the outcome would be different than what many had imagined. 

Being the former 2-time middleweight champion and having victories over fighters like Alex Pereira got Adesanya the well-deserved tilt in the odds. But the reality was pretty different. With his superior grappling, Du Plessis forced Adesanya to tap out in the 4th round via a rear naked choke. 

Had Adesanya won the bout, he would have become a champion for the 3rd time. But the fight was a disappointment for the former kickboxer and his fans. Nevertheless, the duo settled their scores in good spirits. But were you surprised with DDP making Izzy cry at the pre-fight presser? 

1. Alex Pereira wins his fights with magic

Yes, yes, yes… When Jiri Prochazka first accused Pereira of using voodoo magic to secure wins, we all were shocked to our bones. Quite literally! Spreading the word of ‘Chama!’, ‘Poatan’ often paints himself in his traditional colors and shows off his pride for the Pataxo tribe. But with accusations of getting involved in dark magic took got to us. Pereira denied it all saying, “No magic, just training.”

But the damage was done. Later on, the man with the hands of stone quoted, “Well everybody has their own spirits, we’re not only made of flesh and bone. I have found mine. If he did not find his or he does not believe, that’s not my fault.” Despite the highlights of the shamanic rituals, Pereira went on to fight thrice in a year. And all of them ended up with KO wins for Pereira. And these performances got him the prestigious ‘Fighter of the Year’ award.

1. Kayla Harrison makes weight twice

Kayla Harrison coming to the UFC was itself a shocker for the MMA realm. She dominated the arena at PFL as a lightweight. But coming to the UFC as a bantamweight fighter seemed a bit too much. Everyone was wondering if she could actually make weight. But she’s a fighter, and fighters don’t go down without doing everything they can to at least make weight. She made weight against Holly Holm at UFC 300. However, she looked pretty sunken and had us all worried. But she didn’t let that worry get to her and submitted Holm in the second round. 

Harrison didn’t stop with just one fight. She took up another fight against Ketlen Vieira and guess what! She made weight once again and ended up getting a unanimous decision win at UFC 307. It was one hell of a rollercoaster ride for the former PFL champ. 

1. Gilbert Burns loses against Sean Brady

Back in 2022, Gilbert Burns greatly impressed the fighting community with his performance against Khamzat Chimaev. It was a war between the two and was packed with action. However, things changed for the Brazilian. In his last bout against Sean Brady, it seemed like Burns didn’t want to put up enough energy to fight. He had indeed given up way before the fight even began. This was the most heartbreakingly shocking moment for the fans. 

‘Durinho’ knew that he didn’t have much time left as a professional fighter. He was already on a 2-fight losing spree coming to the fight against Brady. But giving up was something that we never expected from Burns. 

Nevertheless, with 2025 right around the corner, we can expect things to get heated, records to be broken, and new surprises to come. But looking back at 2024, it’s all nostalgia now. Which was your favorite UFC moment in 2024? Let us know in the comments down below.