MMAmania’s 10 Most Popular Articles Of 2024 — Pt. 2 | UFC Betting Sites

High Court 24 - P Ní Laimhin v McGregor & Anor — Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images

What storylines kept our readers engaged the most in 2024? Let’s recap the articles that drove massive amounts of traffic last year!

Another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) action is going into the history books. An advanced apology from myself and my editor when I continually type 2024 in the dates for the next three months.

What will stand out about 2024 in combat sports? A few narratives come to mind, from the will-they, won’t-they talk between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall to the undeniable rises of Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira. There were, of course, incredible submissions, stunning upsets and wild back-and-forth wars in the last 12 months, too.

What’s fun is that there’s no guarantee any of those stories will rank among the most popular of the year here on MMAmania.com. It’s always an unpredictable batch! So, as the year comes to a close, what stories drove the most traffic through MMAmania.com amidst the chaos?

Let’s take a look at the second batch (No. 1 to No. 5) …

*** Note: To check out the No. 6-10 stories at MMAmania.com in 2024 click here ***

LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul Vs. Mike Tyson

No. 5: Jake Paul retires from influencer boxing in stunning announcement from MVP
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: MVP claims Jake Paul isn’t an influencer boxer anymore — HE’S THE REAL DEAL!
Why It Blew Up: You don’t get to be Jake Paul famous without understanding marketing and having a good team. When it some day happens for real, “Jake Paul retires” will be an absolutely massive story. Why not tease those buzzwords with a snappy Instagram post by pretending that beating up old Mike Tyson wasn’t an influencer match up? It’s a post perfectly designed by MVP to create outrage, and JH capitalized masterfully.

No. 4: Victory?! Sean O’Malley’s ‘Suga State Athletic Commission’ overturns Merab Dvalishvili loss
Writer: Drake Riggs
Summary: Sean O’Malley commits to the undefeated bit after an embarrassing loss
Why It Blew Up: “Suga” Sean O’Malley had approximately one good moment in 25 minutes against Merab Dvalishvili (pictured above). Like his buddy Jake Paul, however, O’Malley understands that keeping himself in the headlines directly results to more social media attention and more money. Why not double down on his previous undefeated claims? That’s exactly the type of behavior that agitates people while simultaneously keeping the O’Malley name in the title mix. He almost wiggled his way into a rematch!

No. 3: Pic: Donald Trump, RFK Jr. caught watching brutal bloodbath on Trump Force 1 en route to UFC 309
Writer: Dan Hiergesell
Summary: Donald Trump wins the US Presidential Election and heads to UFC 309 11 days later
Why It Blew Up: I’ll probably get yelled at by somebody in the comments for stating the obvious, but UFC definitely grew more political than ever in 2024. Dana White and President-Elect Donald Trump are the best of buds, a storyline that always has juice. For Trump (and the controversial RFK Jr., that’s bonus points) to attend a UFC event so shortly after winning the election is huge, and Dan’s inclusions of the phrase “brutal bloodbath” in the headline surely added some pop, too.

“AS Del Deporte Awards 2024” Photocall In Madrid

No. 2: Conor McGregor ‘funeral’ scheduled for Oct. 12 in Spain, Ilia Topuria to serve as Undertaker
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Conor McGregor visits Spain, Ilia Topuria makes threats
Why It Blew Up: This is a hit on every category. First and foremost, there’s the McGregor factor. His posts are more likely to blow up generally than anyone else. Ilia Topuria isn’t quite that level, but his tremendous 2024 definitely grew his star significantly. The trash talk itself isn’t all that interesting, but Jesse zoomed in on “there’ll be a funeral” and turned some uninspired banter into one of our top posts of the year!

No. 1: Mike Tyson left comatose by Jake Paul? Commission under fire for reckless regulation, Netflix cash grab
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Deontay Wilder doesn’t want to see Mike Tyson seriously hurt, slams athletic commission for licensing “Iron”
Why It Blew Up: 58-year-old Mike Tyson was THE combat sports star of 2024. Tyson vs. Paul was by far the most watched event of the year, and it was a massive source of drama and traffic before, during, and after the bout itself. Ahead of time, there was a serious concern amongst those in the know about the health risks to Tyson, and this article tapped into those worst case scenario fears. Just for a bit of context: this article nearly DOUBLED the total traffic of the No. 2 spot! It wasn’t a home run — it was a grand slam!

Honorable Mention

I hope you’ve enjoyed this whacky ride through our most popular posts of 2024! For some additional honorable mentions from positions 11-25, check out stories about indefinite suspensions, “Most Wanted” UFC veterans, and Khabib’s unpaid taxes.