2024 MMA All-Star Team: Who were the most violent fighters in each weight class this year?

The MMA All-Star Team is back!

2024 is in the books, and it was a pretty great year in terms of MMA. Tons of violent knockouts, slick submissions, and back-and-forth wars made up the past 12 months, and so, as we’ve taken to doing the past few years, it’s time to celebrate the 36 fighters who contributed most to our enjoyment this year.

The concept is simple: The three fighters in each weight class who had the best year based on excitement, activity, and accomplishment. We’re not just talking about who are the best fighters, but which fighters delivered the most entertainment throughout the year. Losses aren’t necessarily disqualifying (so long as the fight was great), and neither are decisions (so long as they weren’t boring).

As always, this idea was originated by the great Jordan Breen, who used to do an “All-Violence Team” for Sherdog. Shout out to him.

Every other major sport has an All-Pro or All-Star team, and this is ours. Welcome to the 2024 All-Violence team.

Heavyweight

First Team: Denis Goltsov.

Quite possibly my favorite fighter I get to celebrate this year. Three times before this year, Goltsov made it to the PFL heavyweight tournament only to lose in heartbreaking fashion, but 2024 was different. Not only did Goltsov finally get over the hump to win the title and the $1 million prize, but he did it in style, with four finishes this year, three in the first round. Congrats and well-deserved!

Second Team: Marcin Tybura.

And after Goltsov, the quality undeniably drops off. Simply put, a lot of heavyweights (and staples of this list) weren’t very active in 2024, fighting only once or twice. Tybura was the exception though, with three fights, two wins, two finishes, and one Performance of the Night bonus to his credit. Tybura even gets a little extra love because in his loss, he did get finished, meaning you got bang for your buck when the big man fought this year.

Third Team: Kennedy Nzechukwu.

Nzechukwu made his heavyweight debut this year, and while he didn’t exactly fight the steepest competition, the man I’ve affectionately dubbed “Kenny Nunchucks” did leave quite an impression. Two fights, two first-round finishes, and a Performance of the Night bonus are good enough to take home Third-Team honors in a down year.

Honorable Mentions: Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Mick Parkin, Oleg Popov, Phil De Fries, Tim Johnson.

Light heavyweight

First Team: Alex Pereira.

This is Pereira’s second time as a First-Team All-Star, and he becomes the first two-weight All-Star, as “Poatan” was the middleweight First-Teamer in 2022. And really, could there be any other choice for this year?

Pereira was very nearly the overall Fighter of the Year in 2024, and with three successful title defenses, three knockouts (including a couple of Knockout of the Year contenders), a Performance of the Night, and a Fight of the Night, Pereira was automatic.

Second Team: Zhang Mingyang.

The rarest thing in all of MMA is a true light heavyweight prospect, but Zhang appears to be just that. Only 26 years old, Zhang made his UFC debut this year and delivered. Two first-round knockouts, two Performance of the Night bonuses, what more could you ask for from “Mountain Tiger”?

Third Team: Dominick Reyes.

Welcome back, Mr. Reyes!

Heading into 2024, Reyes was a cautionary tale in MMA about how one bad break could upend an entire career. On a four-fight losing skid, Reyes appeared to be done as a fighter, a sad ending for the man who should have beaten Jon Jones. But “The Devastator” found a way to turn back the clock this year, and with back-to-back stoppage wins over Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith, he grabs the Third-Team spot.

Honorable Mentions: Artem Vakhitov, Bogdan Guskov, Bruno Lopes, Carlos Ulberg, Dovlet Yagshimuradov, Ibo Aslan, Impa Kasanganay, Magomed Ankalaev, Navajo Stirling, Oumar Sy, Rafal Haratyk.

Middleweight

First Team: Dricus du Plessis.

“DDP” was No. 3 in our Fighter of the Year rankings, and it’s easy to see why: taking the middleweight title from Sean Strickland in a Fight of the Night performance and then submitting Israel Adesanya in his first title defense (the No. 3 Submission of the Year) is a damn fine 2024 run.

This is du Plessis’s first First-Team inclusion and second All-Star inclusion, as he was the middleweight Second-Teamer in 2023.

Second Team: Shara “Bullet” Magomedov.

While du Plessis got the nod for First Team based on the quality of opposition and importance, Magomedov has a real case for the top spot. Three wins, two knockouts, two Performance bonuses, one Fight of the Night, and one of the best knockouts of the year, Bullet was must-see TV every time he stepped in the cage in 2024.

Third Team: Caio Borralho.

The competition was fierce at middleweight, but Borralho narrowly edges out Anthony Hernandez by virtue of superior quality of competition. Both men had two wins and two bonuses this year (Borralho a Performance and a Fight of the Night, Hernandez two Performance bonuses), but Borralho’s win over Jared Cannonier is the best of the bunch, and that has to count for something.

Honorable Mentions: Anthony Hernandez, Bruno Ferreira, Gerald Meerschaert, Mansur Abdul-Malik, Michel Pereira, Nassourdine Imavov, Reiner de Ridder.

Welterweight

First Team: Carlos Prates.

Another automatic choice. It’s wild to think that 2024 was Prates’s UFC debut because he did so much this year. Four fights, four finishes, four Performance bonuses, and a UFC ranking is how you put together one of the best rookie years of all-time and cement yourself as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

Second Team: Joaquin Buckley.

In any other year, Buckley is the runaway winner for First-Team honors. Four wins, three finishes (all over ranked opposition), and one Performance of the Night bonus is an incredible year. If the cut stoppage hadn’t robbed Buckley of the chance to get a more authoritative win over Colby Covington, maybe that’s enough to get him over Prates, but alas, the MMA Gods had other ideas.

Third Team: Shamil Musaev.

Musaev made his PFL debut in 2024 and immediately proved why many consider him to be one of the best welterweights alive. Four wins, three finishes, and the PFL championship (and a $1 million prize) means that there aren’t many 170-pounders who had a better year than “The Silent Assassin.”

Honorable Mentions: Carlos Leal, Charles Radtke, Lorenz Larkin, Magomed Umalatov, Michael Chiesa, Muslim Salikhov, Randy Brown, Sam Patterson, Themba Gorimbo

Lightweight

First Team: Renato Moicano.

Moicano broke out as a star both for his in-cage performances and his post-fight interviews. But the in-cage is really where he shined as “Money” was just that, picking up three quality wins, including two one-sided whoopings of top-15 lightweights. That last part is what barely puts Moicano over the edge because, though he got no bonuses, he absolutely dominated very good opposition in 2024.

Second Team: Esteban Ribovics.

Ribovics was a hair away from taking First-Team honors this year, but there’s nothing wrong with Second-Team when we’re talking about the lightweight division. In 2024, Ribovics scored a 37-second head kick knockout of 2022 All-Star Terrance McKinney (that somehow did not earn him a Performance bonus), and then he followed it up by winning a decision over Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 in one of the best fights of the year. An unbelievable year.

Third Team: Dustin Poirier.

One of the most exciting fighters in MMA history, this is Poirier’s first All-Star team only because we haven’t done them long enough. And if “The Diamond” really is close to hanging up the gloves, I’m happy to have him make it this year because he definitely earned it.

Poirier was one-half of two of the best fights of the year (against Benoit Saint Denis and Islam Makhachev), for which he won two Fight of the Night awards, plus his comeback KO over Saint Denis was one of the best knockouts of the year. That’s quite the run.

Honorable Mentions: Chase Hooper, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Ignacio Bahamondes, Jim Miller, Joel Alvarez, Ludovit Klein, Mansour Barnaoui, Paul Hughes, Salahdine Parnasse.

Featherweight

First Team: Ilia Topuria.

As with Pereira, this was automatic. Topuria deserved his flowers because he had arguably the greatest two-fight run in MMA history. Not only did he score two knockout wins, winning the featherweight title and defending it, and earning two bonuses, he did it by beating two of the 15 best fighters to ever lace up gloves. Topuria’s win over Alexander Volkanovski and becoming the first person to finish Max Holloway with strikes were both A+ knockouts. A simply preposterous run from “El Matador.”

Second Team: Diego Lopes

A 2023 All-Star First-Teamer, Lopes’s 2024 was equally as impressive, with three spectacular wins. First, Lopes ran through Sodiq Yusuff in April, then he fought Dan Ige on about four hours’ notice and took a decision before he ended the year with a drubbing of Brian Ortega to put himself in line for a featherweight title shot. Yes, the bonuses and finishes weren’t the same as he earned in 2023, but Lopes still delivered the goods this year.

Third Team: Youssef Zalal.

Zalal narrowly edges out Jean Silva for Third-Team honors as both men had sensational 2024 campaigns, but Zalal’s took place entirely at 145 pounds, while Silva missed weight and fought up a weight class one time. So while Silva’s rookie year was fantastic, Zalal’s three submission wins and two Performance bonuses are enough to bump “Lord” down to the Honorable Mentions category.

Honorable Mentions: Aljamain Sterling, Brendan Loughnane, Doo Ho Choi, Felipe Lima, Hyder Amil, Jean Silva, Julian Erosa, Movsar Evloev, Sean Woodson, Steve Garcia, Timur Khizriev.

Bantamweight

First Team: Merab Dvalishvili.

Perhaps a controversial choice because Dvalishvili not only failed to find a finish in 2024, but he very rarely finishes people at all. Despite that, it’s hard to argue against Dvalishvili as an All-Star this year given his two incredibly dominant performances against top-level opponents. Dvalishvili was one of the 10 best fighters of 2024, and so, in a pretty weak year for Violence contenders, “The Machine” did enough to claim his spot.

Second Team: Deiveson Figueiredo.

“Figgy Smalls” didn’t end 2024 how he wanted — losing a decision to Petr Yan — but that should only mildly detract from what was still a stellar campaign. Submitting Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 was a great start, and then wailing on Marlon Vera in August put Figueiredo in prime position for a title run. And while he fell short against Yan, it was a hell of a fight, and so Figueiredo earns Second-Team honors.

Third Team: Payton Talbott.

It looks like there’s a good chance that Talbott is going to be a repeat customer on these lists. He officially made his UFC debut last year, but Talbott began to truly break out in 2024 with two brutal finishes that earned him two Performance of the Night bonuses. Still only 26 years old, if Talbott had fought once more in 2024, he may well have found himself atop this list.

Honorable Mentions: Ali Taleb, Cameron Smotherman, Cody Haddon, Marcus McGhee, Petr Yan, Raul Rosas Jr., Umar Nurmagomedov, Vince Morales, Vinicius Oliveira.

Flyweight

First Team: Alexandre Pantoja.

Another candidate for 2024’s Fighter of the Year, this was the time when Pantoja finally established himself as an undeniable force. Two dominant wins in both of his title defenses, one finish that earned a Performance of the Night bonus, and he headlined two pay-per-view cards, all while cementing himself as the second-best flyweight to ever lace up gloves. And when Demetrious Johnson is the top guy, second-best ain’t half bad.

Also important to note, Pantoja is the only repeat First-Team All-Star this year and the first fighter to ever repeat as a First-Teamer in back-to-back years. Can you say dynasty?

Second Team: Charles Johnson.

I’ve got to be honest with you; I never saw this one coming. Johnson’s early UFC career was far from promising when it comes to excitement, but in 2024, “InnerG” flipped the script completely. Four fights, four wins, one Fight of the Night, and one Performance of the Night has Johnson in the top-15, and suddenly, he’s a fighter you want to see step into the cage. Incredible turnaround and an incredible year.

Third Team: Brandon Royval.

This was a toss-up between Royval and Tatsuro Taira, and so the advantage went to the winner of their fight. 2024 was not Royval’s most exciting year, but it may have been his best as he upset Brandon Moreno in a very fun scrap to kick things off, then took home the win and Fight of the Night honors when he put a beating on Taira in October.

Honorable Mentions: Andre Lima, Asu Almabayev, DongHun Choi, Joshua Van, Lone’er Kavanagh, Manel Kape, Muhammad Mokaev, Tatsuro Taira.

Women’s Bantamweight

First Team: Macy Chiasson.

You won’t find a women’s 135er who had a better year than Chiasson. The former Ultimate Fighter winner had a breakout year in 2024, scoring two stoppage wins over ranked opponents and taking home two Performance of the Night bonuses for her troubles.

Second Team: Kayla Harrison.

Women’s bantamweight is always a tough division, and there just aren’t that many fights that take place. However, with two wins in 2024 and one finish (and perhaps more impressively, even making 135 pounds), Harrison makes her return to the All-Star team, moving from an At-Large bid to divisional Second-Teamer.

Third Team: Raquel Pennington.

“Rocky” started 2024 off hot by finally winning the bantamweight title, but unfortunately for Pennington, a questionable scorecard led to her losing the belt to Julianna Peña in her first defense. Had Pennington rightfully won the fight, she would likely be higher on this list, but still, two title fights, one win, and solid performances all around are enough to make it to the Third Team in a weak division.

Honorable Mentions: Ailin Perez, Beatriz Mesquita, Jacqueline Cavalcanti, Jennifer Maia, Kennedy Freeman.

Women’s Flyweight

First Team: Dakota Ditcheva.

If we gave out a women’s Fighter of the Year, Ditcheva would be it. Four fights, four wins, four finishes, a PFL title, and a more importantly, dominant performances. Ditcheva beat the soul off everyone she fought this year, earning her spot among the best pound-for-pound women in the sport. It was a monster year for the budding star.

Also worth noting, Ditcheva is the first person to ever make three straight All-Star teams. She was a Third-Teamer in 2022 and then a Second-Teamer last year, so while Pantoja has the back-to-back firsts on her, Ditcheva is also doing something special.

Second Team: Jasmine Jasudavicius.

Since joining the UFC from The Contender Series, Jasudavicius has struggled to build momentum. Until 2024.

Three fights, three wins, and two D’Arce chokes that earned her two Performance of the Night bonuses, Jasudavicius earned herself a UFC ranking and has her as one to watch heading into 2025.

Third Team: Gabriella Fernandes.

Hard to imagine a bigger swing in momentum than Fernandes had in 2024. “Gabi” made her UFC debut in 2023 and went 0-2, but this year she completely changed things up, winning a split decision and Fight of the Night honors against Carli Judice in June before putting Cong Wang to sleep in one of the biggest upsets ever, earning her a Performance of the Night bonus.

Honorable Mentions: Cheyanne Bowers, Cong Wang, Liz Carmouche, Miranda Maverick, Natalia Silva, Paulina Wisniewska, Rin Nakai, Rose Namajunas, Taila Santos.

Strawweight

First Team: Gillian Robertson.

In a surprisingly quiet year for most strawweights, Robertson was the exception. Robertson fought three times in 2024 (plus a foray into Karate Combat), picking up three wins, with one Performance of the Night winning submission over Polyana Viana.

Second Team: Jacqueline Amorim.

Amorim made her UFC debut last year, going just 1-1, but 2024 proved to be a happier year for her as “Jacque” picked up two first-round armbar wins over Cory McKenna and Vanessa Demopoulos, the former of which won her a Performance of the Night bonus.

Third Team: Virna Jandiroba.

There’s an argument that Jandiroba deserves to be higher on the list as her wins were more meaningful, but Third-Team still isn’t bad, and it’s certainly deserved. A clear unanimous decision win over Loopy Godinez in March, then a Performance bonus winning armbar of Amanda Lemos in July, set Jandiroba up for a big fight against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 310, only for that to get taken away from her when Suarez got a title shot instead.

Honorable Mentions: Ayaka Miura, Denise Gomes, Gabriela Fujimoto, Ketlen Souza, Ming Shi, Tabatha Ricci, Valesca Machado.

At-Large Bids

First Team: Max Holloway.

This section is normally reserved for a combination of women’s atomweight and featherweights, but I’m making an exception this year. For one, there aren’t a lot of great options in either weight class, and for two, look at that photo and tell me I’m wrong.

Holloway fought at both lightweight and featherweight this year, and his lightweight fight was one of the best, most memorable of all time. The 24-minute and 59-second war he had with Justin Gaethje provided one of the best fights and craziest knockouts in history not to mention one of the most iconic moments ever. That’s more than enough for an All-Star allowance.

Second Team: Seika Izawa.

Simply put, Izawa is the best atomweight on Earth and one of the best female fighters in the world. Still only 27, Izawa remains undefeated, and in 2024, she added to her streak with a submission win over Si Yoon Park and a decision win over Kanna Asakura. Last year’s First-Teamer drops to the Second-Team because of Holloway’s insane ‘BMF’ performance.

Third Team: Cris Cyborg.

I rarely include fighters who only fought once in these lists, but this is another instance where I’m making an exception. Cyborg’s battle with Larissa Pacheco at PFL Battle of Giants was spectacular, and if we give her a small bump for two knockout wins in boxing, I’m comfortable having one of the greatest female fighters ever take Third-Team honors.

Honorable Mentions: Ana Palacios, Michelle Montague, Moeri Suda, Rena Kabuto, Saori Oshima,

And that’s it! Congratulations to all the selections, and hopefully 2025 will be just as good!