5 best UFC debutants in 2024 feat. Carlos Prates & Kayla Harrison

2024 is now in the books when it comes to the UFC. It's safe to say that it's been an excellent year for the promotion, which continues to go from strength to strength.

Just like most years, 2024 has seen a number of high-level fighters make their UFC debuts, and some of these fighters are already in title contention.

What will 2025 hold in store for these fighters? Based on what they've done this year, probably a lot more success.

Here are the five best UFC debutants in 2024.

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#5. Michael 'Venom' Page - UFC welterweight contender

The UFC's dominance over the MMA world means that each year, fewer and fewer "marquee" fighters make their octagon debut.

That was largely the case in 2024, with a couple of exceptions. One of those exceptions was former Bellator star Michael 'Venom' Page.

The flashy British striker garnered massive hype in Bellator a few years back. Although he'd slipped from those lofty heights in recent years, it was still easy to get excited to finally see him in the octagon this year.

For the most part, Page delivered the goods. Although he only went 1-1, defeating Kevin Holland in his first bout before being edged out by Ian Machado Garry, 'Venom' still managed to climb into the top fifteen at 170 pounds.

More to the point, he's already shown his willingness to move around in weight to produce exciting fights, as his next bout will see him move to 185 pounds to throw down with the unbeaten Shara Magomedov.

Essentially, it's likely that we haven't even seen the best of Page just yet, and with his flashy style, he's almost guaranteed to produce some exciting fights in the near future. While he wasn't the best debutant of 2024, he's definitely got a lot of promise.

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#4. Vinicius Oliveira - UFC bantamweight contender

While he didn't come into the UFC with the most hype behind him, it's hard to deny the impact that bantamweight prospect Vinicius Oliveira had in 2024.

'LokDog' picked up two wins, and now sits on the cusp of climbing into the top fifteen at 135 pounds, a hugely impressive feat given the loaded nature of the division.

Sporting an impressive record of 18-3, Oliveira earned his UFC contract in late 2023 with a win on Dana White's Contender Series.

He then made his octagon debut for real in March, stopping Bernardo Sopaj with a flying knee in the third round of their clash. The finish was so explosive that it earned 'LokDog' a rare double $50k bonus for both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night.

It was the Brazilian's decision win over Ricky Simon that really opened eyes of hardcore fans, though. Simon had been a staple of the top fifteen at 135 pounds, holding wins over the likes of Jack Shore and Raphael Assuncao.

Oliveira, though, abused him standing and made it look surprisingly easy. While the win didn't elevate him into the rankings, it's easy to see him cracking them next year.

At the age of 29, 'LokDog' is probably just hitting his stride, making him a man to watch in 2025 - as well as one of 2024's best debutants.

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#3. Jean Silva - UFC lightweight contender

Of all of the fighters to make their UFC debuts in 2024, it's probably fair to argue that Jean Silva is the most eccentric.

A member of the so-called 'Fighting Nerds' camp that also produced two other successful debutants this year, 'Lord' went viral in January following his first trip to the octagon.

Weirdly, it wasn't due to his performance against Westin Wilson that got fans talking. Sure, Silva looked brilliant in a first round TKO win, but it was his walkout that really opened eyes.

The Brazilian took nearly four minutes to walk to the octagon - almost as long as his fight itself - and later stated that this was due to him morphing into his alter-ego.

After such a bizarre beginning, it would've been easy to see Silva becoming a figure of fun of sorts. However, he proved he was absolutely for real as 2024 went on by dispatching both Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober, both via TKO.

While he clearly has his eccentricities, then, 'Lord' can definitely fight, with his three wins marking him as one of 2024's best debutants. Going into 2025, there's every chance he moves into title contention at 155 pounds.

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#2. Kayla Harrison - UFC bantamweight contender

The biggest signing that the UFC made in 2024 was also one of the promotion's best debutants this year. In fact, it feels very likely that, more than any other fighter on this list, this debutant will become a champion in 2025.

The fighter in question, of course, is Kayla Harrison.

For years, it felt like the two-time Olympic gold medallist in judo would never make her way to the octagon, primarily for two reasons.

Firstly, she'd largely competed at 155 pounds - a weight class not featured by the UFC. Secondly, she appeared to be tied into a lengthy contract with the PFL.

However, that changed in the spring, as Dana White announced her signing in a bit of a surprise. The big question coming into her debut, then, was whether she could even make the 135 pound bantamweight limit.

Not only did Harrison do this with ease, though, but she also destroyed former titleholder Holly Holm, finishing her off in the second round.

Many fans expected her to get a title shot off the back of this win, but instead, Harrison ended her year by outpointing top contender Ketlen Vieira.

It now seems like she's on a collision course with current bantamweight queen Julianna Pena, and despite the champ's talents, Harrison will likely be favored to win.

Overall, then, the Olympic gold medallist was clearly one of 2024's best debutants, and she could well go onto become a legend of the octagon in the future.

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#1. Carlos Prates - UFC welterweight contender

Unless a fighter debuts in the UFC following a successful run in a rival promotion, it's very hard for them to crack the top fifteen in their first year.

However, that's just what Carlos Prates did this year, and that's why he's ranked as the best debutant of 2024.

'The Nightmare' earned a contract with the promotion last November, TKOing his opponent on Dana White's Contender Series to take his overall record to 17-6. At that point, though, few fans could've seen the impact he would have.

February saw Prates knock out Trevin Giles in his octagon debut, earning what would be his first $50k performance bonus of the year.

From there, he stopped Charles Radtke, and just two months later, dispatched veteran contender Li Jingliang in his first pay-per-view appearance. Both fights ended via knockout, and both saw him claim performance bonuses.

While the latter win would've been a great way for the Brazilian to finish the year in itself, even better was still to come for Prates.

'The Nightmare' faced top fifteen ranked gatekeeper Neil Magny in November, and again produced the goods. It took him less than a single round to dispatch 'The Haitian Sensation', smashing his way into the rankings in the process.

For a debutant to win four fights in a year would be considered excellent, but to win all four via knockout and claim four performance bonuses - while also breaking into the top fifteen - is basically unheard of.

Whether Prates can move into title contention in 2025 remains to be seen, but based on what he's done so far, it's easy to imagine him pulling it off. Regardless, 'The Nightmare' was clearly the best debutant of 2024.