Islam Makhachev made his case for a top pound-for-pound spot in his first appearance of 2024 by submitting Dustin Poirier in the headliner of UFC 302 in June.

Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) recorded his 14th consecutive win and the third defense of his lightweight title by locking in a D’arce choke on Poirier midway through the final round of an incredible title fight. Heading into the final round, the fight was already a lock for a Fight of the Night award, but the finish secured an extra Performance of the Night bonus for the champion as he took the judges out of the equation.

Throughout his UFC career, Makhachev has flexed his submission skills with a variety of techniques, including a rear-naked choke, armbar, arm triangle choke, and kimura. The latest, the D’arce choke to deny Poirier’s final chance of becoming an undisputed champion, was perhaps his most impressive after going through the fire of an incredible battle.

Other nominees:

• Jim Miller def. Gabriel Benitez via submission (face crank) – Round 3, 3:25 at UFC Fight Night 234
• Brian Ortega def. Yair Rodriguez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 0:58 at UFC Fight Night 237
• Mitchell Goode def. Angus Hewett via submission (buggy choke) – Round 3, 4:24 at Cage Warriors 169
• Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:02 at UFC 300
• Anthony Smith def. Vitor Petrino vs. via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:00

We could probably safely pen this one in at the top of the list for the full-year awards too, but for now, there is no doubt that Max Holloway’s finishing statement at UFC 300 is the knockout moment of 2024 so far.

In fact, if anything tops this in the second half of the year, we’re in for another all-time moment.

Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) was ahead on two of the three judges’ scorecards going into the final round, while the other saw the fight tied. In theory, Holloway could have coasted to victory, but that’s not how “Blessed” is built. Holloway put a stamp on the fight by picking Gaethje apart in Round 5. Then, he went above and beyond in the closing seconds. As he’s done before, he pointed to the center of the canvas, inviting Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) to trade haymakers until the horn. The former interim lightweight champ obliged and unfortunately paid the price when Holloway detonated a bomb on his chin, ending the fight before the buzzer and sending the crowd into an earth-shaking frenzy.

Already high on everyone’s best featherweight champion of all time list, Holloway, who competed at lightweight for this fight, firmly etched his name atop the best BMF title moments by creating a highlight that will live on for ages.

Other nominees:

• Neil Magny def. Mike Malott via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:45 at UFC 297
• Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:32 at UFC 298
• Vinicius Oliveira def. Bernardo Sopaj via knockout(flying knee) – Round 3, 4:41 at UFC Fight Night 238
• Carlos Ulberg def. Alonzo Menifield via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:12 at UFC on ESPN 56
• Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka via knockout (head kick and punches) – Round 2, 0:13 at UFC 303

The headlining act of UFC 302 produced one of the most memorable moments of 2024 so far.

Islam Makhachev successfully defended his lightweight title in an incredible Fight of the Night battle against former interim champion Dustin Poirier. For Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC), it was an opportunity to pick up another title defense against a fresh opponent. For Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC), it was his last chance to become an undisputed champion and achieve a career-long goal.

The back-and-forth fight reached the final frame, with one official cageside judge seeing the fight even going into the final five minutes. The other two judges had the bout in Makhachev’s favor, however, the champ would eliminate the need for their collective input as he found a D’arce choke to finish the fight.

The heartbreaking moment for Poirier was jubilation for Makachev, who picked up his third title defense and looks ahead to his next challenge, which could take place a welterweight, if he gets his wish.

Other nominees:

• Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 297
• Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC 298
• Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint Denis via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:32 at UFC 299
• Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via knockout (punch) Round 5, 4:49 at UFC 300
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Steve Erceg via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) at UFC 301

Voting for the “Best Female Fighter” in the first half of 2024 was the closest category. The MMA Junkie staff liked a number of nominees for various reasons, but ultimately, it was the youth, upside, and very bright future of “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva who takes the award.

The PFL flyweight took the 2024 PFL Regular Season by storm, unleashing a flurry of strikes on Lisa Mauldin and swarming Chelsea Hackett with strikes in the opening round. Ditcheva recorded her seventh consecutive finish, with only one of those occurring outside of the first round.

Ditcheva (12-0 MMA, 7-0 PFL) is undefeated with a very impressive all-around game. The 25-year-old could very well add a PFL championship to her mantle in the second half of the year, and if she does, she will have to navigate a playoff field as the No. 1 seed that includes Bellator champ Liz Carmouche, former UFC title challenger Taila Santos, and one-loss Jena Bishop.

Other nominees:

• Raquel Pennington (1-0, 1 decision; 1 title win)
• Zhang Weili (1-0, 1 decision; 1 title defense)
• Macy Chiasson (2-0, 1 submission, 1 TKO)
• Kayla Harrison (1-0, 1 submission)
• Gillian Robertson (2-0, 1 submission, 1 decision)

What more needs to be said about Alex Pereira’s first half of 2024? “Poatan” has made two appearances in short order and added two knockout highlights to his ever-growing reel amid an incredible light heavyweight title run.

First, Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) headlined the historic milestone UFC 300 in April against former champion Jamahal Hill. “Poatan” needed only 3:14 to finish the fight with a sequence that began with his signature left hook after waving off an unintentional low blow.

Second, Pereira returned just over two months later to headline International Fight Week in a rematch against former champ Jiri Prochazka. Like their first meeting, this fight made it to Round 2, however, the first strike Pereira threw in the second frame was a swift left head kick to drop Prochazka, leading to a finishing swarm of punches.

Just nine fights into his UFC run, Pereira has already claimed titles in two divisions, with his eye on a third, calling for a heavyweight title bout. What else will the hottest star on the UFC roster accomplish in the second half of the year?

Other nominees:

• Islam Makhachev (1-0, 1 sub; 1 title defense)
• Ilia Topuria (1-0, 1 KO; 1 title win)
• Dricus Du Plessis (1-0, 1 dec; 1 title win)
• Sean O’Malley (1-0, 1 dec; 1 title defense)
• Max Holloway (1-0, 1 KO; BMF title win)