As has become somewhat of a tradition here at MMASucka, we like to throw out 10 outlandish predictions every year and claim to be psychic when one of the 10 gets remotely close. Last year’s article can be found here, however, we will revisit our 2024 predictions in this article.
Be sure to check out the previous article to find our 2024 predictions in detail!
Revisiting our Outlandish 2024 Predictions
First Half of 2024 Predictions
1. UFC 300 Will Not Live up to Expectations
UFC 300 went down in April and the fights themselves offered some blockbuster performances. Alex Pereira‘s brutal first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill grabbed headlines, as did Max Holloway‘s demolition of Justin Gaethje in the BMF title bout. Jiri Prochazka’s finish also saw masses of replays and we had the debut of Kayla Harrison. Zhang Weili’s domination of countrywoman, Yan Xiaonan was also impressive. However…
UFC 300 didn’t massively stand out from a casual point of view. There was no special octagon like for UFC 200, no special walkouts like at UFC 189 and although we saw the introduction of custom fight gear, it has already become the norm for headliners and co-headliners at PPV events.
The main event had a singular star, with Pereira taking on Jamahal Hill. There was little to no jeopardy for the champion, despite taking on the former champion in Hill. Overall, UFC 300 was a little underwhelming.
2. Magomed Ankalaev beats Johnny Walker, beats Alex Pereira but loses the belt in December
Simply put, this one wasn’t close. Yes, Magomed Ankalaev beat Johnny Walker but didn’t get the title shot many thought that he might. Instead, Khalil Rountree got the shot at Pereira and although he performed well, the Brazilian ultimately came out on top.
Ankalaev would take on Aleksandr Rakic in October and has seemingly set up a clash with Poatan in 2025, however, as of yet, nothing is signed.
3. Alexander Volkanovski will make three defences of his featherweight title before retiring
Again… not quite. Alexander Volkanovski had a quiet 2024, not something we expect from the now-former featherweight king. After an up-and-down 2023, Volkanovski took on Ilia Topuria and unfortunately for him, suffered his first loss at 145lbs as El Matador knocked him out in the second round.
It’s the only time we saw Volkanovski in 2024, however, a rematch with Topuria in 2025 is highly likely, so expect to see him more active in 2025.
4. Kayla Harrison vs Cris Cyborg… Doesn’t happen – BUT Larissa Pacheco knocks out Cyborg
Elements of this 2024 prediction were correct, however, large elements of it didn’t come to fruition. We were correct, Kayla Harrison and Cris Cyborg didn’t happen. Harrison signed with the UFC, eliminating the possibility of that fight happening in the near future. The second element of our fourth 2024 prediction could have come true, however, when Larissa Pacheco and Cris Cyborg met on the PFL Super Fights card.
The former UFC world champion showed her skills, however, to win the PFL Featherweight Super Fights Championship after a dominant five rounds.
5. Sean Strickland goes 0-3 in 2024
When we wrote our 2024 predictions, Sean Strickland was the middleweight champion. As we write this review piece, he isn’t. He began 2024 with a loss to current champion, Dricus du Plessis and sat out begging for a rematch. Granted, the fight was close, however, there were more deserving names in the division.
He rebounded with a split decision victory over Paolo Costa, however, has been out of action since June. He didn’t look amazing against Costa, a man who it is possible to look good against. He’s set to meet du Plessis again at UFC 312 for the belt, however, it could be argued that again, he isn’t deserving of the shot.
He went 1-1 in 2024, not 3-0, however, will certainly chalk down 2024 as one to forget.
Second Half of 2024 Predictions
6. Leon Edwards defeats Belal Muhammad and narrowly loses his belt to Shavkat Rakhmonov
Wrong. Like Strickland, Leon Edwards will chalk down 2024 as one to forget. He went 0-1, being dominated by Belal Muhammad and losing his belt in his home country.
We did correctly predict that the winner would face Shavkat Rakhmonov and that was the plan… until Muhammad got injured. Rakhmonov clashed with Ian Garry instead of Muhammad, winning via decision in a closely fought battle. He’s set to meet Muhammad for the belt in 2025.
7. Jon Jones beats Stipe Miocic before retiring, leading to Tom Aspinall vs Jailton Almeida for the undisputed belt in December
This one could come to fruition, but not in 2024. Elements were correct. Jon Jones did return and finish Stipe Miocic and is potentially retired.
Tom Aspinall still holds the interim belt and will compete for the undisputed belt in his next fight, whether that is against Jones or not. Jailton Almeida has had an inconsistent 2024. He began the year by suffering his first promotional loss to Curtis Blaydes in a fight which could have seen him gain a shot at Aspinall’s interim title. It wasn’t to be, however, and he returned to face Alexandr Romanov, picking up an easy win in the first round. Let’s hope that 2025 is better for the boogeyman of the division.
8. Joanna Jedrzejczyk Returns and Rose Namajunas Retires
This is one of those predictions that didn’t come to fruition at all. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, at the time of writing, isn’t even hinting at a UFC return. She did, however, get inducted into the hall of fame, so she hasn’t had a quiet year.
Likewise, Rose Namajunas didn’t retire. She went 2-1 in 2024, continuing her run at flyweight. She beat Tracy Cortez and Amanda Ribas, headlining twice. She will enter 2025 on a loss, however, having been beaten by Erin Blanchfield in November. At 32, she has a few years in her yet, however, she’s in a difficult position. Thug is ranked #6 at flyweight, however, those above her are notably better than her but she still has a big name, so could get the opportunity. Keep an eye out for Namajunas in 2025.
9. Islam Makhachev rematches Charles Oliveira and threatens to sit out until he gets a welterweight title shot
We’ve only seen Islam Makhachev once this year, in a decent fight against Dustin Poirier. This isn’t because he’s sat out wanting for a title shot, however, it’s because of an injury. He’s set to get 2025 kickstarted, however, with a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311.
Charles Oliveira could get the shot at the winner, however, so maybe we’ll push that prediction on a year.
10. The PFL/Bellator crossover champion vs champion fights won’t happen
To keep it short, as far as predictions go, this was simply, incorrect. It was the Francis Ngannou show, remember!
