Fight Facts: UFC 2024, a Year in Review

The Ultimate Fighting Championship continued its reign as the mightiest MMA league on the planet while other promotions waned this year. Staging over 500 tilts across their average of 42 fight cards, the UFC did not take its foot off the gas and instead applied pressure to the pedal by taking to the one-of-a-kind Sphere in the fall. The organization featured a surprisingly low finish rate in 2024, while also bringing in more overwhelming favorites than ever before and a complete lack of even scorecards.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS IN 2024: 517
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS IN 2024: 42
Knockouts: 59
Technical Knockouts: 87
Submissions: 84
Decisions: 281
Draws: 0
No Contests: 4

Master Cylinder

Is More Always Better? While it did not reach its record of 520 fights set last year, the promotion staged 517 in one fewer show than 2023—therefore averaging more fights per card than ever.

Home Away from Home: Exactly half of the UFC’s events in 2024 took place in its headquarters city of Las Vegas. Ten different U.S. cities also received fights from the league, while the only non-Vegas location to get multiple cards was Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

You Know You Love It: While the UFC stated that it planned on breaking out of its famed UFC Apex this year for greener pastures, it matched the total from last year of 17 in that building. The Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California, still did not get a UFC show.

A What: With recent years seeing marathon stretches of consecutive events spanning many months, the UFC altered its schedule such that no more than 11 straight weeks featured live fight action. This is a far cry from the 17 straight Saturdays last year or the 24 Saturdays in a row in 2020.

Prolonged Affairs: Even though it tried, the UFC was unable to put on a show with 15 fights on the billing come event night. It did have six shows that brought 14, with 20 of their 42 seeing at least 13 bouts take place on that respective evening.

Tickle in His Throat: Tying his UFC high, announcer Joe Martinez called 16 different UFC events in 2024. Of note, Charly Arnolt became the first female announcer in company history when she briefly filled in for an ill Martinez at UFC on ESPN 55 in April.

Should Set That Record in 2028: During the first event of 2024, Jon Anik passed Mike Goldberg for the most fights called by a play-by-play commentator in UFC history. Joe Rogan’s over 3,250 serve as the most for any commentator, with Anik trailing that number by more than 300.

Barf: The 2024 calendar year wrapped with the lowest finish rate among UFC fighters in its history. Nearly 55% of all bouts that took place in the Octagon heard the final bell.

Activity High: No combatant set foot in the cage five times this year. Five did each compete on four occasions, with all five of them ending 2024 with a winning record.

Three Breakouts: Carlos Prates, Charles Johnson and Joaquin Buckley all had landmark 2024 campaigns, each man fighting four times and getting their hands raised after all four appearances.

Bummer Days: On the other side of the equation, James Llontop, Marc-Andre Barriault and Michal Oleksiejczuk struggled the last 365-ish days. All three men suffered three defeats without a win between them.

Removed the Drawing Board: Breaking a streak that dates back to 2009, zero fights were scored even inside the Octagon this year. That last occurred in 2008, although there were far fewer bouts held back then.

Biter No Biting: Igor da Silva made history by becoming the first fighter in the history of the promotion to be disqualified for biting an opponent. He chomped on Andre Lima at UFC on ESPN 53, and not only was he released, but Lima earned a post-fight “Bite of the Night” bonus check and tattooed the bite mark on his arm.

Should Have Been Cut: Da Silva is not the only competitor to lose by DQ in 2024. Piera Rodriguez inexplicably drilled Ariane Carnelossi with multiple headbutts at UFC Fight Night 241 to have the bout waved off, making 2024 the first year since 2021 where multiple combatants got DQed.

No USADA, No Weed: Thus far, no fighter has had a win overturned due to a failed drug test this year. The four no contests came from in-cage actions, with two eye poke stoppages, one from a groin kick and another due to illegal elbows. In comparison, an even 10 fights were overturned last year, a record.

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Kickin’ Pants

Blame the Gloves: At year’s end, about 28.2% of all UFC bouts ended due to strikes, doctor stoppage or injury. This is not only lower than the average, but the lowest since 2010, when the promotion held half as many fights as it does now.

Don’t Blame the Gloves: UFC on ESPN 54 took place in March in Atlantic City, and of the 13 bouts booked, eight of them ended by knockout or technical knockout. This card tied several others over the years for the most at any one UFC event.

No Gloves on Those: A pair of spinning wheel kick knockouts were authored in 2024 in the Octagon, with Marcus McGhee and Muslim Salikhov spinning their way to victory. Last year, only two spinning strike finishes in total took place.

Sharpening His Gloveless Elbow: Brunno Ferreira spun himself $50,000 richer when he walloped Dustin Stoltzfus with a spinning back elbow at UFC on ESPN 57. Not to be outdone, Jon Jones returned from a lengthy layoff to put Stipe Miocic away with a spinning back kick at UFC 309. All of the spinning strike victors in 2024 earned bonus money.

Glove to Glove Love: Needing a new entry on Sherdog Fight Finder, Sharabutdin Magomedov put himself on the map by blasting Armen Petrosyan with not one but two spinning back fists. This is the first knockout via multiple back fists in promotional history.

Stop Gloving: Bill Algeo called it a day after absorbing massive punishment from Doo Ho Choi at UFC on ESPN 60. His is the only submission to strikes loss this year in the Octagon.

Keep Your Gloves for Later: Dating back to 2020, one UFC fighter a year has had his or her corner intervene to save them. In 2024, Kevin Holland’s team waved off the match against Roman Dolidze at UFC 307.

No Glove Required: Bryce Mitchell registered the sole slam stoppage in 2024 by demolishing Kron Gracie at UFC 310. In doing so, he became the first fighter to put away the Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant.

Right into His Glove: Charging at Carlos Ulberg like a freight train, Alonzo Menifield got knocked stiff in just 12 seconds at UFC on ESPN 56. The victory for Ulberg is the quickest of the year, as one of five clocking in under 30 seconds.

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Right in the Little Neckhole

Less About the Art: While 2023 set a record for the most submissions landed in the promotion, this year saw a steep decline. The second-lowest submission rate in UFC history played out over the course of 2024, with a shade over 16% of the victors locking in subs.

Milquetoast: No unique chokes played out in the UFC cage this year, although a few on the rarer side did get one application each. One fighter hit a heel hook (Valter Walker), another locked down a ninja choke (Cody Durden) and one other combined a triangle and an armbar together (Westin Wilson).

Why Choke, Just Squeeze: The UFC exceeded its record for the most face cranks recorded in a single year, with seven. Of note, Gerald Meerschaert put Bryan Barberena to sleep using a face crank, marking the first time that had happened.

Creeping Up the Technicalities: The years of 2019 to 2022 each featured exactly 11 technical or verbal submissions in the Octagon. 2023 passed that number with 12, and 2024 exceeded that tally with 13—the verbal sub was Walker’s heel hook.

Welcome Back: Youssef Zalal broke out this season by returning to the roster and stringing together three straight submissions. His subs of Billy Quarantillo, Jarno Errens and Jack Shore make him the only UFC competitor to lace three in 2024.

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The Stones on You

Poatan Poatan Poatan: The UFC regressed to the mean in 2024 in terms of championship affairs, putting on 19 across 14 pay-per-view cards. The lone division to feature three title tilts was light heavyweight, as Alex Pereira thrice prevailed in 2024, all defenses.

Easy to Keep with One Fight a Year: Jones, Pereira, Islam Makhachev, Alexandre Pantoja and Weili Zhang all came into 2024 as the champion of their respective division—not counting Tom Aspinall, interim heavyweight beltholder. They all held onto their thrones by year’s end.

Instant Excitement, Just Add Water: Pereira and Pantoja are the lone titleholders in the promotion to rack up more than one defense this year. “Poatan” knocked out three challengers while “The Cannibal” devoured Steve Erceg and Kai Asakura.

Who Takes the Tetralogy: Putting their trilogy even at one win apiece and a draw, Valentina Shevchenko had the last laugh when she took Alexa Grasso’s crown at UFC 306. As a result, Shevchenko became the first two-time champ in UFC women’s flyweight history.

Immediate Top Fiver All-Time: In February, Ilia Topuria passed the featherweight test and wrested the title from Alexander Volkanovski by knockout. At UFC 308 later in the year, “El Matador” became the first fighter to stop Max Holloway with strikes to register his first defense.

Very Slow and Extremely Steady: Due to belts changing hands, the longest reigning champ with the promotion is Makhachev. His three defenses tie the UFC’s lightweight championship record, while he is currently tied with the most defenses of any active titleholder.

Two Paths Diverge: With Jones booked against Miocic, the organization forced interim heavyweight champ Aspinall to defend that silver belt during Jones’ reign. Aspinall wiped out Curtis Blaydes in 60 second to avenge his lone UFC defeat and keep his 100% finish rate intact.

Four on the Floor: To notch the first defense of his middleweight throne, Dricus Du Plessis forced Israel Adesanya to tap with a neck crank. His fourth-round submission is one of under two dozen in UFC championship history, and the third with a cranking move—Khabib Nurmagomedov and Grasso the first two.

Unwelcoming Committee: Springboarding into the promotion with an immediate title shot at flyweight, former bantamweight Asakura fell short for the top prize at 125 pounds. He is one of a very small number in modern history to make their UFC debut for gold, and none of those types of challengers have ever won.

The Shape of Things to Come: In the sole women’s strawweight title fight this year, Zhang held onto her strap by outworking Xiaonan Yan. Both women of Chinese descent, their encounter was the first all-Chinese UFC championship bout.

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Checking with Interest

Abandoned This Right Quick: Due to the milestone event, the UFC amplified its bonus awards from UFC 300 to $300,000 apiece. Holloway claimed two of those for his instant classic with Justin Gaethje and the knockout that stemmed from it, for the most bonus money taken home by one fighter ever.

More Than His Contract: Holloway is one of four victors to snag multiple post-fight bonuses after a triumphant performance this year, the most since 2024. In addition to “Blessed,” Vinicius Oliveira claimed double checks by lambasting Bernardo Sopai with a flying knee and Makhachev earned two-for-one treatment with his submission of Dustin Poirier.

Performer Paddy: The fourth fighter to earn more than one bonus check defied the norms, as prior double winners did so by picking up a “Fight of the Night” nod as well as one for “Performance of the Night.” Paddy Pimblett earned two POTNs by sleeping Bobby Green at UFC 304.

Early Money: At UFC 310, Chase Hooper and Kennedy Nzechukwu opened the card triumphant in the first two fights. Both victors earned POTN, making this the 10th event where the initial two winners claimed bonuses, and the first since UFC 282.

Breaking Out and Breaking Bank: Dispatching four foes inside the distance this year, Prates snagged four post-fight bonuses for his handiwork. This total is both a high this year for stoppages via strikes and award checks received.

Time for Chuck E. Cheese: Charles Oliveira became the first fighter in organizational history to notch 20 post-fight bonus checks. He earned his 20th in a “Fight of the Night” battle with Michael Chandler at UFC 309.

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Got the Tuxedo Shirt

Bettors More Entrenched: Of the 513 matches that played out with conclusive results throughout the year, chalk rate went up as 68.4% of the favored competitors picked up wins. 2024 also featured more pick-‘ems than usual, with 26 bouts deadlocked by bettors.

Everyone Wang Cong Tonight: The largest betting upset of the year came as Gabriella Fernandes shocked -1300 Cong Wang as Sherdog’s 2024 “Upset of the Year” winner. “Gabi” at +725 is the lone victor in the Octagon to disappoint a favorite of this magnitude.

Prohibitive Gambling: A whopping 15 fights saw the favored competitor at -1100 or higher, shattering the UFC record. All 15 of those prohibitive favorites prevailed, mostly by stoppage, with Bo Nickal and Ludovit Klein two-time names on that list.

Flier Opportunity: In 2023, the UFC reached historic numbers as 46 fighters entered their bouts with betting odds of -500 or above. This year blew those totals out of the water, with 65 different fights featuring a favorite that high. However, seven of those overvalued competitors suffered losses.

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Bad is a Relative Term

Unexpected Success: While historically, fighters that miss weight do not fare in competition the next day, that was not the case in 2024. Of the 32 bouts where at least one combatant missed weight, 19 of those (59.4%) heavier still prevailed.

Not Paying for It This Year: A pair of tilts in 2024 saw both fighters hit the scales above their proper marks: Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel da Silva and Nora Cornolle vs. Melissa Mullins. The fights both ended by stoppage, with the heavier of the two getting their hand raised both times.

Make Them Fight: Ihor Potieria and Dylan Budka are the only two UFC competitors to miss weight at middleweight or above this year. Featherweight saw more failed cuts than any other weight class.

Hit Him with a Steel Chair: Chairez’ five-pound weight miss at flyweight is the most egregious of any in the Octagon in 2024. He still picked up a win in the first round against da Silva.

Forever a Company Man: Dan Ige made modern history by stepping in to save a fight for Diego Lopes at UFC 303. Lopes was initially slated to take on Brian Ortega at featherweight, then lightweight, then a catchweight. When Ortega ultimately bowed up, Ige weighed in on fight day at a catchweight of 161 pounds and fought tooth-and-nail in a close loss.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Including the once-in-a-lifetime Ige situation, three official catchweight bouts were established this year. This is a massive downturn from 2023, when 11 different matchups intentionally took place outside of standard weight categories.

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Stop That Mantra

Struck by Thunder: Fighters dipped into the well for “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC again this year, using the hit by the Aussie rockers more than any other tune (11 times) with a win percentage slightly below .500.

The Curse of Curses: The Eminem Curse was in full effect in 2024. All eight combatants that walked out to the Octagon with something from Eminem playing went on to lose their bouts.

Variety Is the Spice of Life: Of all the walkout music played this year, only five tracks were played at least five times throughout it. The 11 for “Thunderstruck” is far and away more than any one song, with “Run This Town” by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West in second place with six uses—and fighters went 4-2 with it.

A Few Famous Guitar Riffs: Thanks to “Thunderstruck,” AC/DC served as the most frequently selected walkout artist of 2024. That song and “T.N.T.” accounted for a majority of those entrances, but the band finished with a win percent lower than the midpoint at year’s end.

Everyone Gravitates Towards 50/50: The only two artists with noteworthy win percentages were Drake and Jay-Z, as fighters picked 10 songs apiece from these two musicians. The combatants won seven of the ten matches with each artist.

Go Go KSW: Even though “Entrance of the Year” went to another promotion, the leading song in the category for the UFC was the final one heard. Colby Covington emerged with Hulk Hogan waving an American flag as Rick Derringer’s “Real American” played in the Amelie Arena, but “Chaos” came up short.