Brett Okamoto, ESPN Workforce Editor
Like each game, blended martial arts has a rather established checklist of stars.
Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, for example — UFC champions and the condition quo for years. Israel Adesanya made the middleweight category his personal for a few years. And don’t fail to remember Islam Makhachev‘s and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s dominance of 155 kilos.
Along with the condition quo, there also are opponents ready to get their shot — brokers of chaos for each category. Each and every 12 months, any person shakes issues up, and in 2023, the ones names incorporated Sean Strickland, Alexa Grasso, Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall. None of them got here out of nowhere, however they modified their respective sections. They shifted grounds.
As we glance into 2024, listed below are some names that might reflect the shakeups of 2023. Those aren’t intended to be championship predictions or just naming the most productive opponents of every weight elegance. Those are opponents that might crack out in 2024 and feature a probability to very much modify the views round every category.
Strawweight: Josefine Knutsson
This can be a long-shot candidate within the 115-pound category, however don’t be stunned if Knutsson prospers this 12 months. She’s best 1-0 within the UFC, however she’s now not some distance from a completed product. Knutsson is an overly technical fighter out of Stockholm’s AllStars Coaching Middle in Sweden, and appears bodily robust to reserve her personal in opposition to one of the most bullying kinds of this category. There is not any suspicion that the 28-year-old Knutsson can be appreciated in opposition to enough of the strawweights these days ranked within the supremacy 15. She received’t transform a champion in 2024, however I do consider she may crack into name competition.
Males’s flyweight: Tatsuro Taira
There are enough of alternatives for a fresh flyweight to transform a contender within the UFC. This category has been wildly amusing on the supremacy, however the ones fights have additionally featured the similar names for moderately at some time. The protecting champion, Alexandre Pantoja, has already fought Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval two times. Moreno and Royval have fought every alternative, and can combat once more in February. Kai Kara-France has fought Moreno (two times), in addition to Royval. You spot what I cruel? Any newcomer who can crack via into that supremacy tier in 2024 goes to get superb alternatives. The 2 names that arise out are Taira and Muhammad Mokaev. Mokaev has gained extra fanfare than Taira so far, so we’ll assemble the 23-year-old Taira a fairly much more likely option to shake up this category in 2024.
Ladies’s flyweight: Manon Fiorot
This might necessarily be a two-way attach between Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield, however we’re going with Fiorot. Blanchfield used to be ESPN’s chaos agent for this category in 2023, and he or she didn’t disappoint, posting wins over Jessica Andrade and Taila Santos. France’s Fiorot is scheduled to stand Blanchfield on March 30, and presen the UFC can have simply let this matchup headline that UFC Combat Night time match, it’ll in lieu shoot park beneath a headliner of Vicente Luque as opposed to Sean Brady. The winner is nearly assured a name shot. Fiorot almost certainly has the next industrial enchantment, as a result of her stand may probably convey alongside a considerable French fanbase. Similar to Alexa Grasso scored a tremendous one for Mexico in 2023, Fiorot may do the similar for France in 2024.
Males’s bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov
This used to be the toughest pick out of any category, as bantamweight is full of ability. Terminating 12 months’s selection used to be Merab Dvalishvili, and he delivered with a crushing efficiency in opposition to former champion Petr Yan. Cory Sandhagen is a big-time candidate. He’s ranked throughout the supremacy 5 within the category, and his taste produces the type of highlights lovers love. However Nurmagomedov is the person who may see the largest stand. We learn about Dvalishvili, Sandhagen, Henry Cejudo, Deiveson Figueiredo, or even, to a lesser extent, Song Yadong. We all know some distance much less about Nurmagomedov. If the UFC is in a position to retain him tremendous fights and he plays the best way he’s anticipated, he would be the category’s breakout in 2024. It’s so simple as that.
Ladies’s bantamweight: Kayla Harrison
This can be a nice-looking unhidden selection, nearest the UFC announced last week it had signed the two-time Olympic gold medalist. Harrison had a superb occupation with the PFL, however she had exhausted her choices there. A fourth combat in opposition to Larissa Pacheco — whom she beat two out of 3 times — would had been fascinating, however later once more, it could had been their fourth combat. A megafight with Bellator’s Cris Cyborg would had been superb, nevertheless it used to be creation to really feel like that matchup used to be by no means taking to occur, even though they have been in the similar promotion. Harrison’s outlook on 2024 simply took a 180-degree flip. She’s now losing the entire method to 135 kilos, which is mischievous in and of itself. She’s getting a large alternative immediately out of the gate, in opposition to Holly Holm at UFC 300. Harrison is not only a chaos agent at this weight elegance, she’s one of the vital greatest ones within the game.
Featherweight: Max Holloway
1:39
Max Holloway excited for BMF combat with Justin Gaethje
Max Holloway joins Brett Okamoto to speak about his BMF name bout vs. Justin Gaethje.
How can Holloway — arguably the best featherweight of all future — be a “chaos agent” in 2024? Let me provide an explanation for. The rationale I’m choosing Holloway is as a result of by some means, somehow, it seems like the game very much decreased its expectancies of him terminating 12 months. Since struggling 3 loses to Alexander Volkanovski since 2019, Holloway has been on this bizarre purgatory of shielding his spot within the category, however with no belt round his waist. However imagine the chances in 2024. If he beats Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt at UFC 300, it’s now not not going he would face the winner of nearest year’s Volkanovski as opposed to Ilia Topuria name combat. If Holloway, who’s 4-1 in his terminating 5 fights, is going undefeated in 2024, that can shake up 145 kilos in an overly important method.
Light-weight: Arman Tsarukyan
We already noticed Tsarukyan shake up the category terminating 12 months. In the end a fresh face cracked into that supremacy tier of the category, which has lengthy been reserved, virtually solely, for Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler. It’s been nearly unimaginable for fresh blood to fix them, however Tsarukyan will do it this 12 months when he faces Oliveira at UFC 300. Benoit Saint Denis additionally makes the scale down right here, as he’ll face Poirier at UFC 299. Of the ones two, Tsarukyan has a greater shot of dethroning champion Islam Makhachev, which might clearly reason chaos.
Welterweight: Ian Machado Garry
Garry has seemed superb lately. He’s been head and shoulders above his opposition in 2023, together with in his determination victory in opposition to Neil Magny in August. He’s already laid out his clash checklist of 2024, which incorporates Geoff Neal, who he fights nearest year, Colby Covington and Sean Strickland. Garry has nation speaking about him — and now not simply from lovers and media, however alternative opponents, together with former champions. The desk is ready for a real breakout, probably polarizing, 12 months.
Middleweight: Sean Strickland
Strickland used to be the category’s chaos agent in 2023, and he might be once more in 2024. There are tremendous fights in the market for Strickland in 2024. Rematches in opposition to Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, Khamzat Chimaev (who’s publicly claiming to have owned Strickland within the health club). To not point out that Strickland, in many ways, is chaos personified. Positive, shall we glance i’m sick the scores and struggle to spot some fresh identify at the method up within the middleweight category, however no person is in a position to growing extra chaos at 185 kilos than Strickland. He won’t have the belt anymore, however he’s nonetheless on the heart of this category’s intrigue.
Brightness Heavyweight: Vadim Nemkov
Nobody can in point of fact say that Bellator’s Nemkov isn’t already the most productive brightness heavyweight on the earth. It’s just about unimaginable for a fighter to be ranked Deny. 1 on this planet if he/she does now not compete within the UFC, however Nemkov has the appropriate to say he’s the most productive. In recent times, Nemkov has overwhelmed all the UFC transfers to Bellator, together with Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Corey Anderson and Yoel Romero. This 12 months, he has a fresh ability lake to attract from, with the PFL and Bellator merger. He’s creation off the 12 months with a heavyweight combat in opposition to Bruno Cappelozza, which is usually a precursor into alternative appearances at heavyweight. However there are excellent fights for him at 205 with the PFL roster, together with Impa Kasanganay and Robert Wilkinson. Nemkov is any person we might be referencing a batch this 12 months, even out of doors of the UFC.
Heavyweight: Jon Jones
If he desires to be, Jones can transform the chaos agent that this category, and the game as an entire, badly want and desires. I don’t suppose many nation within the MMA international be expecting Jones to be an energetic champ who takes on all freshmen. If he have been to take action, this category, which has been a slight little bit of a bust because of getting older stars and relax in recent times, would straight away transform one of the vital premier weight categories within the UFC. So, on that notice, please Jon. Be an agent of chaos in 2024. We’d all love to peer it.
