Top 5 MMA fights of 2024

Fighters across the UFC, PFL, and beyond treated MMA fans to entertaining matchups in 2024, but - as always - some were better than the rest.

Here are theScore's top five fights of the year.

5. Islam Makhachev def. Dustin Poirier

Event: UFC 302
Date: June 1

Few thought Poirier had much chance of dethroning Makhachev in their lightweight title bout, but "The Diamond" gave the Dagestani a run for his money: He kept the fight on the feet for long stretches and stopped 11 of Makhachev's 16 takedown attempts. He landed hard punches and opened up a cut above Makhachev's left eyebrow in the fourth round of the fairly competitive fight.

But Makhachev - the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC - was still too much for Poirier. He put a stamp on yet another impressive performance by tapping out the former interim champion with a D'Arce choke in the fifth round.

4. Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint Denis

Event: UFC 299
Date: March 9

Less than three months before Poirier challenged Makhachev for the 155-pound title, he delivered another Fight of the Year candidate against Saint Denis - but, that time, he finished in the winner's circle.

Saint Denis nearly claimed the victory, putting the pressure on Poirier and tagging him with hard punches in Round 1 before smothering him on the ground in Round 2.

But Poirier rallied like the durable and tough fighter he is. He escaped the dangerous position on the mat and then floored Saint Denis with a right hook to cap the back-and-forth fight and earn one of the most devastating knockouts of his career. It served as a reminder of Poirier's status as one of the sport's top lightweights.

3. Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai

Event: UFC 308
Date: Oct. 26

No one will ever question Rebecki's and Orolbai's hearts after they delivered one of the bloodiest, most gruesome fights of the year.

Orolbai had a massive hematoma on his face for much of the fight after taking some early punishment from Rebecki, but the Kyrgyzstan native returned the favor by opening up a cut on Rebecki's face that was gushing blood by the end of the second round.

Rebecki dropped Orolbai with a left hand less than a minute into the third, and UFC color commentator Paul Felder was convinced the fight was over.

"That's it!" he said.

Nope. Orolbai survived and even got on top of Rebecki in the final two minutes. But in the end, the judges awarded Rebecki a split-decision victory.

2. Brandon Royval def. Tatsuro Taira

Event: UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira
Date: Oct. 12

The main-event flyweight bout between Royval and Taira had a bit of everything.

Royval dominated the striking, Taira dominated the grappling and, as a result, the fans got a competitive fight that had a bunch of momentum shifts and was way more entertaining than it should've been.

In the third round alone, Royval rocked Taira with a big left hand and Taira wrapped up a rear-naked choke that might've finished the fight had time not expired.

Royval secured a decision victory by outworking Taira in a winner-takes-all fifth round, handing the 24-year-old Japanese prospect his first career loss and capping an impressive 2024 campaign.

1. Esteban Ribovics def. Daniel Zellhuber

Event: UFC 306
Date: Sept. 14

This was the definition of a good ol' fashioned slugfest.

Ribovics and Zellhuber aren't huge names and the stakes weren't particularly high (this matchup, like many others, was overshadowed by its location, Sphere in Las Vegas). But the pair put everything and then some into this fight - you'd think they were fighting for $10 million and a gold belt.

Ribovics and Zellhuber set a high pace and put on a striking clinic in the first 10 minutes, but Round 3 - arguably the best of the year - is when this fight came alive.

Both men came out guns blazing, and Zellhuber dropped Ribovics with an elbow in its first minute. Moments later, though, Ribovics wobbled Zellhuber with an overhand right and nearly finished him with a flurry of punches. Zellhuber did everything he could to survive and managed to stay upright, but UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik seemed to doubt he could claw his way back into the fight.

"I'm not sure Zellhuber knows exactly where he is," Anik said.

Against all odds, Zellhuber landed some heavy punches with his back against the wall - literally and figuratively - to hang on. The two traded blows until the final horn and received a standing ovation, prompting Anik to exclaim "The Sphere is alive!"

It sure was.