Booking Five Blockbuster Bouts for UFC’s 2024 Calendar Year

These five fights would all be appointment-viewing

The new year feels like a changing of the guard within the UFC.

By the end of 2024, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, and even Conor McGregor will all be retired from active competition. That makes the coming year even more important for the UFC, which will celebrate a massive event in April with UFC 300.

Looking at the fighting landscape, there are ample opportunities to book older stars against the rising ones. That will be critical for Dana White and his team, as building new stars is a necessity, especially important considering their media rights deal with ESPN ends in 2025.

Last year, I went one-for-five in this realm, correctly predicting the Sean O’Malley-Aljamain Sterling bout seven months before it took place. I’m feeling even more confident this year, as it feels like these fights are a positive for all involved.

Here are five fights I would love to see in 2024:

5.) Conor McGregor vs. Islam Makhachev

This is the most far-fetched fight on the list. But if you’re a Conor McGregor fan, his last chance at a lightweight title shot is 2024.

If McGregor defeats Michael Chandler at UFC 300 this spring, he should call out Islam Makhachev. While it would only mark McGregor’s first win since January of 2020, he possesses a rare type of name value that could propel him into a title shot. And with his career in the cage likely coming to a rapid end, why not make one last run at the belt?

Makhachev would be out-classed in the build, but he could get his revenge in the cage. If Khabib Nurmagomedov is in his corner, it would only add to the spectacle.

No one sells like McGregor. Colby Covington pales in comparison, and he just found himself in a pay-per-view main event/title shot that he did not deserve. Don’t discount McGregor’s chances.

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4.) Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

No, this isn’t the plan. Jon Jones is set to defend the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in 2024, wipe out Stipe (who looked old last month in a brief appearance at Madison Square Garden), and then proclaim himself the greatest to ever step in the cage.

But a new challenger awaits.

Tom Aspinall looked flat-out terrifying against Sergei Pavlovich last month, absorbing a rattling shot before delivering the knockout blow to win the interim heavyweight title. He needs to make a successful title defense and further enhance his name value, as so far, Jones has been clear that he has no intentions of fighting Aspinall. Yet, for the right amount of money, it might be too great an opportunity for Jones to pass up.

The day is coming when Jones will be defeated. It won’t be by Miocic, but Aspinall presents all sorts of challenges.

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3.) Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Dricus du Plessis is on the cusp of a major year.

If he defeats middleweight champion Sean Strickland in January at UFC 297, there is potential for a three-fight year. Already riding an eight-fight win streak, Du Plessis is just now entering the prime of his career. His dismantling of Robert Whittaker over the summer proved that, and with the exception of a long-awaited showdown with Israel Adesanya, there is no bigger bout than one against Khamzat Chimaev.

And big this would be. Chimaev is a monster, and even Kamaru Usman was unable to break him in their fight this fall. But Usman made a monstrous mistake–he should have pressed for the bout to be five rounds instead of three. If Du Plessis is champ, then this will be a five-round bout, a scenario that puts Chimaev at a disadvantage.

Du Plessis feels like the UFC’s breakout star of 2024.

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2.) Aljamain Sterling vs. Alexander Volkanovski

A lot of variables need to happen in order for fight fans to see Aljamain Sterling challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title.

First, Volkanovski needs to overcome the harrowing knockout defeat he suffered this fall against Islam Makhachev. If Volkavovski returns at UFC 298 in February and defeats the undefeated Ilia Topuria, then he will once again prove his superiority in the division–and make a convincing claim that he is the greatest featherweight in UFC history.

Sterling is also coming off a devastating loss, dropping the bantamweight belt to Sean O’Malley over the summer. Prior to that TKO defeat, Sterling was laying his claim as the best bantamweight champ. Instead of seeking a rematch, Sterling now makes the long-anticipated move to featherweight, where he will fight a dangerous Calvin Kattar this spring at UFC 300.

If Sterling defeats Kattar, who is something of a gatekeeper for the division, in impressive fashion, will that catapult him to the front of the line for a title shot? Max Holloway, no doubt, would disagree–but if Sterling defeats Kattar, then there is reason to believe he will get the next shot at the title.

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1.) Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill

The most overlooked man in the UFC is Jamahal Hill.

That will no longer be the case when he knocks out Alex Pereira.

Hill has been the unwanted recipient of plenty of bad luck, suffering a gruesome rupturing of his Achilles tendon only months after winning the light heavyweight title. But perhaps the timing will ultimately work in his favor–Alex Pereira is the new champion in the division, and on paper, he looks like a very appealing opponent for Hill.

Pereira cannot match Hill’s power. That is typically Pereira’s strength, so this bout would put him in a precarious position. If Pereira can find a way to beat Hill, especially after his impressive victory last month against Jiri Prochazka, he will take hold of a division that has yet to find its footing since the departure of Jon Jones in 2020.