Who Will Be UFC Champions At End Of 2024?

Predicting the future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions is a tricky task — who would have ever thought Sean Strickland would hold 185-pound gold? Especially after starting 2023 on a two-fight losing skid, which included a career-threatening knockout loss to future Middleweight champion, Alex Pereira.

But, here we are: Strickland is gearing up for his first-ever title defense at UFC 297 this weekend. And if he wants to remain in his lofty position, he will have to overcome Dricus Du Plessis — who has wormed his way into Strickland’s concrete melon — and then possibly prove his historic upset win over “The Last Stylebender” was no fluke.

Possibly in UFC 300’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event, too.

All that to say that anything (and everything) is possible in mixed martial arts (MMA) — the landscape of the sport can change rapidly because of injuries, upsets and other unforeseen circumstances. So, as we kickoff 2024 with the first UFC title defense, we asked Bard (Google’s artificial intelligence tool) to predict how things might look on Dec. 31, 2024. For the sake of brevity, in this edition we focused on the seven male champions. We’ve also created a table for those visual readers out there to provide additional context.

It’s AI from here on out … for better or worse.

Based on current rankings, recent fights and upcoming matchups, here are some educated guesses for the seven male UFC champions at the end of 2024:

Heavyweight

This weight class is in a bit of a mess right now. Jon Jones technically holds the belt, but many doubt he’ll defend it consistently because of age and past legal issues. Tom Aspinall has the interim belt. Stipe Miocic remains a contender, but at 41, age could be a factor. Dark horse Jailton Almeida looks impressive, but lacks experience. Prediction: It’s a toss-up, but I’ll lean toward Almeida emerging as the champion by the end of the year.

Light Heavyweight

Current champion Alex Pereira is a dangerous striker, but Jiri Prochazka could rematch him and reclaim the title. Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill are also in the mix. Prediction: A tough one, but I’ll go with Alex Pereira retaining his belt because of his knockout power.

Middleweight

Sean Strickland surprisingly captured the title, but Khamzat Chimaev seems like a strong contender if he can climb the rankings. Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa are still threats. Prediction: This could be close, but I’ll say Khamzat Chimaev takes the belt from Strickland, potentially in a late-year showdown.

Welterweight

Leon Edwards just dethroned Kamaru Usman and looks strong. Khamzat Chimaev could potentially move down from Middleweight and challenge Edwards. Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal remain lurking. Prediction: I believe Edwards defends his title against Chimaev or Covington in dominant fashion.

Lightweight

Islam Makhachev seems like a force to be reckoned with, but Charles Oliveira might have another title run in him. Rafael dos Anjos and Dustin Poirier could also play a role. Prediction: I’m going with Islam Makhachev to solidify his reign as the undisputed Lightweight champion.

Featherweight

Alexander Volkanovski is arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, and I don’t see anyone dethroning him easily. Ilia Topuria is a rising star, but needs more experience. Prediction: Alexander Volkanovski retains his dominance at Featherweight.

Bantamweight

Sean O’Malley has the belt, but Merab Dvalishvili is on a tear and Cory Sandhagen is always a threat. Petr Yan could even re-enter the title picture. Prediction: This is a tough one, but I’ll say Dvalishvili upsets O’Malley and becomes UFC’s new Bantamweight champion.

Of course, these are just predictions, and the actual outcomes could be quite different. It’s an exciting time to be a UFC fan, with many contenders vying for the top spot in each division.

Let’s see how the year unfolds!

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To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events for 2024 click here.