The UFC had another big year in 2023. We had six title changes (plus three vacated titles won), some shocking upsets, incredible fights and unforgettable moments. But now we look ahead to 2024 and with a seemingly endless stock of young talent, it’s shaping up to be an even bigger year.
So, just like last year, we’re going to do our best to look a year in advance and predict the UFC champions in all 11 weight classes. Of course, this can always be tricky due to things like injuries and other factors. For example, the Women’s Bantamweight title is currently vacant. But we’re going to try and get as close as possible, while also seeing how we did with our 2022 picks.
Flyweight
Brandon Moreno
If you’re going to bet on a title change, this is the place to do it. Moreno vs. Pantoja at UFC 290 in July was Fight of the Year candidate and the champ lost a very close decision. If there’s one thing Moreno has proven, it’s that he knows how to bounce back from a loss. With that being said, he has lost twice to Alexandre Pantoja now, to the current champ may need to drop the belt for Moreno to get another shot. Unless of course, the UFC is willing to give him a third shot, which is very possible.
Current champion: Alexandre Pantoja
2022 Pick: Deiveson Figueiredo
Other fighters to watch: Amir Albazi, Manel Kape, Muhammad Mokaev
Bantamweight
Sean O’Malley
Sean O’Malley’s knockout victory of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August was one of the best moments of the year in the octagon. Now, the champ needs to prove he belongs on the throne. With pinpoint striking and crowd-pleasing antics, O’Malley is a lot of fun to watch and one of the most dangerous fighters in the game. He’s got his first title defense on the books for March against Marlon Vera already, but a win there could possibly lock him up as the champ at the end of 2024, depending on how schedules play out.
Current champion: Sean O’Malley
2022 Pick: Sean O’Malley
Other fighters to watch: Marlon Vera, Merab Dvalishvili, Aljamain Sterling, Deiveson Figueiredo
Featherweight
Alexander Volkanovski
Coming off of losses in two of his last three fights, it’s easy to think Alexander Volkanovski has lost a step. But take another look and remember that both of those losses came against Islam Makhachev, the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And the first of those losses was an incredibly close decision. And in between those losses Volk dominated Yair Rodriguez. In other words, there’s no reason to think Alexander Volkanovski won’t still be holding the Featherweight Championship at the end of 2024.
Current champion: Alexander Volkanovski
2022 Pick: Alexander Volkanovski
Other fighters to watch: Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett, Movsar Evloev
Lightweight
Islam Makhachev
Everything we just said about Volkanovski can be said for Makhachev, except you change those losses into wins. Makhachev looks as dominant as we’ve seen a champion in the UFC. He’s also already cleared out most of his division. He’s likely going to see a rematch with Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje has yet to face him, but it’s hard to see anyone dethroning Makhachev, at least in the next year. We might not see another lightweight champ until Makhachev decides to walk away.
Current champion: Islam Makhachev
2022 Pick: Islam Makhachev
Other fighters to watch: Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Benoit Saint Denis
Welterweight
Shavkat Rakhmonov
We have a title change! Leon Edwards looked great defending his title again Colby Covington but this would be a very different challenge. Shavkat Rakhmonov is going to move forward and be in your face the entire time. He has been crushing every opponent the UFC puts in front of him, including a dominant submission victory over Stephen Thompson just a couple of weeks ago. He likely has to win one more time in order to secure himself a championship opportunity, but it seems very possible he will do exactly that.
Current champion: Leon Edwards
2022 Pick: Kamaru Usman
Other fighters to watch: Belal Muhammad, Ian Garry, Jack Della Maddalena
Middleweight
Dricus Du Plessis
Another title change! Dricus Du Plessis is next in line for a championship opportunity against Sean Strickland and the two already hyped up their rivalry when they threw some punches in the crowd during UFC 296. Du Plessis has been smashing opponents, including a stunning performance against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. Cardio has seemed to be his only weakness in the past but that didn’t appear to be an issue his last time out. We could be looking at a very big year and a strong title reign for Du Plessis.
Current champion: Sean Strickland
2022 Pick: Israel Adesanya
Other fighters to watch: Israel Adesanya, Brendan Allen, Bo Nickal
Light Heavyweight
Jamahal Hill
This is another tough one because the light heavyweight division has been very shaky in the past year. Alex Pereira defeated Jiri Prochazka to take the title in November, but that opportunity was only there because Jamahal Hill has been injured since defeating Glover Teixeira for the title in January. So, while there is nothing on the schedule just yet, it seems those two are likely destined to meet in the octagon with gold on the line. Of course, this division is loaded with guys who can end a fight in a hurry, so anything can happen in the next 12 months.
Current champion: Alex Pereira
2022 Pick: Jiri Prochazka
Other fighters to watch: Magomed Ankalaev, Jan Blachowicz, Khalil Rountree
Heavyweight
Tom Aspinall
Speaking of messy divisions. Jon Jones made a surprising return to the octagon in 2023 and looked as dominant as ever, defeating Cyril Gane in just over two minutes. However, that fight happened in March and Jones is once again off the UFC radar for the time being. In the meantime, Tom Aspinall captured the interim championship in November when he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich. Aspinall is a very athletic fighter with heavy hands so he has a chance to win against anyone. Of course, the same can be said of just about anyone in the heavyweight division. So in a class where anyone can be knocked out in seconds, the best bet is probably just to stick with the current champ. Then again, if Francis Ngannou returns for a fight with Jones, all bets are off and your guess is as good as mine.
Current champion: Jon Jones (Tom Aspinall Interim Champ)
2022 Pick: Cyril Gane
Other fighters to watch: Sergei Pavlovich, Stipe Miocic, Jailton Almeida
Women’s Strawweight
Zhang Weili
I made the mistake of not picking Zhang Weili last year. I will not be doing that again. In her one 2023 contest, Zhang looked dominant against Amanda Lemos. And that followed two 2022 bouts where she dominated former champions. It is astonishing the power Zhang packs in her hands for such a light weight class and her ground game has improved tremendously in the past couple of years. Looking at the strawweight rankings, there is little in the way of new challengers for Zhang that make me think she won’t still be holding this title by the end of 2024.
Current champion: Zhang Weili
2022 Pick: Rose Namajunas
Other fighters to watch: Yan Xionan, Tatiana Suarez, Loopy Godinez
Women’s Flyweight
Valentina Shevchenko
It’s a very different situation for Valentina Shevchenko. The longtime champion was stunned when Alexa Grasso scored the Submission of the Year and one of the biggest upsets in UFC history against her in March. The two also fought to a draw in September, so it’s possible Shevchenko won’t be next in line for a title shot. Still, 12 months is a lot of time. The title could be defended twice and if Grasso was to lose to someone else, it would be likely the title would then belong to someone Shevchenko has already defeated. There are however, some very interesting names in this division that could throw a wrench in that plan.
Current champion: Alexa Grasso
2022 Pick: Valentina Shevchenko
Other fighters to watch: Erin Blanchfield, Manon Fiorot, Rose Namajunas
Women’s Bantamweight
Irene Aldana
And finally, we have the vacant Women’s Bantamweight throne just waiting for someone to take Amanda Nunes’ place. Julianna Pena seems like the obvious choice here, being that she is the only person to defeat Nunes since Obama was in office. But she also hasn’t fought since losing to Nunes in 2022. So instead, my pick is Irene Aldana, who put on an incredible show just weeks ago in an impressive with against Karol Rosa. Very few fighters have hands as good as Aldana’s and she’s already faced off against some of the best in the world. She might not be the next Women’s Bantamweight champ, but my money is on her holding that title at the end of the year.
Current champion: Vacant
2022 Pick: Amanda Nunes
Other fighters to watch: Julianna Pena, Raquel Pennington, Mayra Bueno Silva
One way or another, 2024 is sure to be another exciting year for the UFC and fight fans will be able to watch it all on ESPN+.