This year saw a ton of movement and changes when it came to UFC titleholders, with only four out of eleven champions holding their titles from start to finish in 2023. Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski and Weili Zhang were the only champions that entered this year with their titles and will be leaving with them, meaning the rest of the divisions have seen one or more new champions crowned during 2023. Let’s take a quick look at some of the fighters that I think have great chance to be holding gold at the end of next year:
Flyweight - Muhammad Mokaev (+800) Mokaev is one of the riskier picks that I like to potentially win gold in 2024. The undefeated flyweight prospect has a fight booked for March 2nd against Alex Perez, and with a dominant win, Mokaev could potentially see a title shot by year’s end with a chance to become the youngest champ in UFC history.
Bantamweight - Sean O’Malley (+150) I consider this to be one of the safer picks on the list. Assuming O’Malley can retain his belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March, it’s likely the promotion will continue to do their best to keep the title on one of their biggest money makers for as long as possible by giving him another winnable matchup to finish the year.
Featherweight - Ilia Topuria (+240) This is a pretty tough call, as it would likely require Topuria to beat Alex Volkanovski twice this year. There’s a decent chance the undefeated fighter from Spain can beat Volkanovski in their matchup at UFC 298, and if he can pull that upset, I think he’ll likely hold the belt through the remainder of the year.
Lightweight - Islam Makhachev (-200) Pretty easy choice on this one. Makhachev will likely face Justin Gaethje or Charles Oliveira in his next title defense, and he should comfortably beat either of them. After that, there’s a very real possibility that he will try to challenge for the UFC Welterweight title at some point later in 2024, leaving the lightweight division in a standstill.
Welterweight - Shavkat Rakhmonov (+250) This is one of the tougher division’s to pick in my opinion. Belal Muhammad should be next in line for a title shot, but there’s no guarantee he will actually be next. Ultimately, I think Rakhmonov will earn a shot sometime during 2024 and he will capitalize on the opportunity regardless of who is holding the belt at the time.
Middleweight - Khamzat Chimaev (+100) The only thing that worries me about this pick is Chimaev’s activity level. If he only fights once in 2024 as he did this year, it’s very unlikely it will be for the title. However, if he can get another impressive win under his belt in the early part of the year, I love his chances of seeing a title shot in the latter portion of 2024.
Light Heavyweight - Magomed Ankalaev (+450) This is another division that’s fairly difficult to call. The current champion, Alex Pereira has flirted with a move up to heavyweight, but it remains to be seen if he will do it. Jamahal Hill will likely be next in line vs Pereira, but I think there’s a good chance Ankalaev will face the winner of that matchup and end 2024 holding gold.
Heavyweight - Tom Aspinall (+175) The only concern with this pick will be the status of Jon Jones, who is the current champion. Jones is currently out with an injury, but is likely to face Stipe Miocic at some point in 2024. It’s expected that Jones will likely retire or take another break after that, which would mean Aspinall would be elevated from interim to outright champ.
Women’s Strawweight - Tatiana Suarez (+140) This pick was pretty easy and is one of my favorite choices, with timing being the only real concern. Current champ Weili Zhang isn’t overly active and has no upcoming fight announced. Assuming Suarez gets her opportunity in 2024, which she should, I fully expect her to be able to win the belt and finish the year as champion.
Women’s Flyweight - Erin Blanchfield (+225) Pretty tough division to pick here, with multiple possibilities to finish the year with the belt. Blanchfield is currently booked against Manon Fiorot in March, and it’s highly expected that the winner of that fight will receive a title shot. Blanchfield is one of the best prospects in the division, and I think she can pick up gold by the end of 2024.
Women’s Bantamweight - Valentina Shevchenko (+750) This is probably the riskiest of my picks, but one that I feel is entirely possible. Between Shevchenko’s reign ending at flyweight and the bantamweight division being wide open in the aftermath of Amanda Nunes retirement, I think there’s a decent chance Shevchenko could try and move up for a shot at a new belt.
All odds are current via DraftKings Sportsbook