5 best UFC fights that have already been announced for 2024
With just a handful of weeks and even fewer UFC shows remaining in 2023, it’s time to take a look forward into early 2024.
The UFC has wasted no time in announcing a number of events for the first part of next year, and with them, some huge fights have also been made. So with multiple title fights on tap, what can fans look forward to in early 2024?
Here are the five best UFC fights that have already been announced for 2024.
#5. Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker – UFC Fight Night 234
The first UFC event of 2024 will take place at the Las Vegas APEX on January 13, and the headliner will see a rematch between two of the promotion’s top light heavyweights.
The UFC 294 bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker was expected to be one of the better ones in October, but unfortunately, it proved to be a disaster. Ankalaev caught Walker with an illegal knee after just over three minutes, and the bout was waved off and declared a No Contest.
Thankfully, the promotion has been able to book an immediate rematch, and given the controversy around the finish last time around, there should be bad blood now. With any luck, that bad blood will translate to a fun fight.
Walker always brings the heat, but Ankalaev has often been accused of taking a safety-first approach. However, the last time he fought in a rematch, he came in angrily and knocked out Ion Cutelaba in a thriller, and fans will hope for a repeat this time.
More importantly, both men are viable contenders for new 205lbs champion Alex Pereira. With everything considered, this is definitely one of 2024’s best fights.
#4. Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev – UFC 297
UFC 297 already has most of its fights announced. Outside of the headliner – more on that later – the best fight on tap is almost certainly the featherweight bout between Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev.
Put simply, both of these fighters are amongst the very best 145lbers on the planet right now, and the winner could easily go onto fight for the title in the near future.
Allen is actually coming off a loss to Max Holloway, but purely by going the distance and pushing the former champ, he actually enhanced his reputation. Aside from that, ‘Almighty’ holds strong wins over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Dan Hooker and Sodiq Yusuff.
Evloev, meanwhile, is still unbeaten at 17-0 and was last seen outpointing Diego Lopes, who has since proven to be a red-hot prospect in his own right. Overall, he holds seven wins in the octagon, and while he isn’t the best finisher, his takedowns have proven near-impossible to stop.
Can Allen act as the kryptonite for the Russian and keep the fight standing to win with his boxing? Or will Evolev simply mow right through him as he’s done to everyone else he’s faced?
It’s nearly impossible to say, and that’s what makes this fight one of the best in early 2024.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – UFC 298
The last time fans saw featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski in action, he suffered the most devastating loss of his career at the hands of lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
Sure, Volkanovski took the fight on late notice, but it’s basically impossible to take any positives away from a first-round knockout loss via head kick.
Of course, last time ‘Alexander the Great’ lost – to Makhachev in their first clash – he bounced back easily by destroying Yair Rodriguez in his return to 145lbs.
February will see him face off with a new contender in the form of Ilia Topuria. Can he bounce back in similar fashion again? It’s honestly debatable.
Firstly, Volkanovski didn’t lose too much in that first fight, as many fans thought he actually won. And secondly, while Rodriguez was definitely a fair challenge, Topuria might be even more dangerous.
‘El Matador’ has brutally heavy hands and effective takedowns, and he’s also a dangerous finisher with a great gas tank.
On paper, Volkanovski should win due to his technical boxing skills. But it’s hard to say how much that loss to Makhachev will have taken out of him, making this fight hugely intriguing.
Overall, then, it’s easily one of the best fights announced for 2024 thus far.
#2. Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – UFC 299
Sean O’Malley’s knockout of Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title back in August was definitely one of 2023’s most memorable moments in the UFC, and it felt like a star was instantly born.
Thankfully, ‘Sugar’ isn’t taking an extended period of leave and is set to make his first title defense in March. More intriguingly, he’ll be facing the only man to beat him in his MMA career, Marlon Vera.
That fight went down in 2020 and saw Vera stop O’Malley with some nasty strikes late in the first round. However, ‘Sugar’ has always maintained that a leg injury he suffered during the fight contributed to the loss and has even claimed he doesn’t count the defeat on his record.
That means that both men will be extra hungry when this fight comes around, title or no title.
O’Malley will be desperate to prove that the first loss was a fluke and that he is indeed the better fighter. ‘Chito’, on the other hand, will be looking to shock everyone by taking the champion out, a feat that would make him one of the UFC’s more unlikely titleholders considering his TUF: Latin America beginnings.
Add in O’Malley’s undoubted star power, and there’s no doubt that this is one of the best fights announced for 2024.
#1. Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis – UFC 297
The best fight on tap for early 2024 is almost certainly the middleweight title clash between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, which will headline UFC 297 in January.
Initially, the promotion were expected to overlook Du Plessis in favour of handing Khamzat Chimaev a title bout. But for reasons largely unknown, they have returned to Plan A.
While it would’ve been cool to see Chimaev compete for a title, there’s no doubt that ‘Stillknocks’ has more than earned this shot. After all, he’s the only man, aside from Israel Adesanya, to beat Robert Whittaker at 185lbs.
Equally, while it would’ve been great to see the South African settle his feud with Adesanya, it’s also just as intriguing to see a middleweight title fight not involving ‘The Last Stylebender’. After all, the last time that happened was 2018!
Of course, Strickland deserves plenty of hype in his own right after beating Adesanya, but this fight will be where he’ll show whether that win was a fluke or not.
Either way, it’s hard to call a winner in this fight given that there are so many question marks around both men, and that makes it a potential thriller in the making. Put simply, it’s the best fight made for 2024 to this point.