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The first half of 2024 is, incredibly, over. In the UFC, we've already seen some monumental moments in the past six months.
In the UFC, titles have changed hands, we've seen violent knockouts and shocking wins - but which fighters have stood out the most?
Naturally, despite plenty of amazing performances, a handful of stars have shone more than any others.
Here are the best five UFC fighters in the first half of 2024.
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#5 Robert Whittaker - UFC middleweight contender
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When 2023 ended, it would've been fair for some observers to believe that Robert Whittaker was finished as a top level contender at 185 pounds.
The former UFC middleweight champ suffered a knockout defeat to Dricus du Plessis last July, and that knockout seemed to signify the end of an era.
Prior to that, 'The Reaper' had only ever lost to Israel Adesanya since moving to 185 pounds in 2014, and had dispatched all other contenders. Losing to 'Stillknocks' suggested that he was finally on his way down.
2024, though, has seen Whittaker turn things around in style. February saw him edge out former title challenger Paulo Costa in a thriller, and the fact that he survived a huge spin kick to the head proved his chin hadn't been cracked by du Plessis.
It was his violent stoppage of Ikram Aliskerov in June that means Whittaker has to be considered one of the best fighters of 2024 thus far, though.
Initially pegged to face Khamzat Chimaev, 'The Reaper' instead took on a red-hot prospect on late notice, and needed just under two minutes to waste him with a flurry of strikes.
Whether Whittaker gets another chance to reclaim the middleweight title remains to be seen, but thus far, 2024 has been perfect for him.
#4 Dricus du Plessis - UFC middleweight champion
It wasn't his best performance, but when Dricus du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland via split decision to claim the middleweight title, it was hard not to be impressed.
Not only had 'Stillknocks' climbed to the top of the UFC - something most people doubted he was capable of - but he'd become the first South African titleholder in the promotion's history, too.
The win over 'Tarzan', which saw du Plessis just about push the pace enough to claim victory, was his seventh in a row in the octagon.
However, what he's done since has been almost as important in landing him a spot on this list as what he did to make it to the top.
'Stillknocks' has embraced his position as a UFC champion in more ways than most. He has immediately agreed to face his longtime rival Israel Adesanya - in Adesanya's backyard of Australia - without quibbling, and that fight looks set to be one of the biggest in some time.
To add to this, he also helped his own star to rise outside the octagon with a surprisingly strong showing on the South African edition of 'The Masked Singer'.
If du Plessis can follow all of this with a win over 'The Last Stylebender', it'll be hard to deny that 2024 belongs to him.
#3 Max Holloway - UFC BMF champion
Former featherweight titleholder Max Holloway has only fought once thus far in 2024, but it's safe to say that he made his mark in that fight.
'Blessed' took on Justin Gaethje in his first foray up at 155 pounds since 2019, with Gaethje's 'BMF' title on the line. In the end, the two men stole the show at UFC 300, and Holloway walked away with perhaps the most legendary knockout of all time.
The epic fight went all the way into the fifth round, and while the Hawaiian was seemingly ahead on the scorecards, he suffered a knockdown in the fourth that put the result into doubt.
As the fifth round ticked away, then, it was anyone's fight. With fifteen seconds or so to go, though, Holloway decided to throw caution to the wind. Pointing at the center of the octagon, he called out Gaethje for one final firefight - and landed a haymaker right hand that dropped him face-first.
It was probably the greatest finish to any fight in UFC history, and will undoubtedly win every 'knockout of the year' award going by the time 2024 ends.
Holloway may find himself fighting for the featherweight title again next, and could well regain his crown. Even if he doesn't, though, his exploits in April mean he'll never forget 2024, and he definitely belongs on this list.
#2 lia Topuria - UFC featherweight champion
Coming into 2024, despite losing via knockout to lightweight champ Islam Makhachev last October, many fans viewed featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.
'Alexander the Great' had not only beaten the likes of Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez, but he'd also overcome the great Max Holloway three times.
To add to that, when he'd fought Makhachev with a full training camp, he'd pushed him the distance, with many fans believing he deserved the nod from the judges.
Everything changed at featherweight, though, when Volkanovski faced Ilia Topuria in February. 'El Matador' was coming in with an impressive 14-0 record, but few fans gave him any hope of unseating the Australian champ.
However, after a tight first round - and just as it seemed that Volkanovski was settling into a rhythm - Topuria lanced him with a brutal right hand that knocked him senseless in a second.
The win was a monumental one for the Spanish fighter, and in all honesty, it's hard to convey quite how impressive it was. Volkanovski had eaten power shots from almost everyone he'd faced before, but not quite like this.
In the months that have followed, Topuria has frustrated some fans with his often-outlandish statements, but it now appears that he'll be defending his crown in October, perhaps against Holloway.
If he can win that one, it'll be hard not to see him as the fighter of 2024. For now, 'El Matador' is definitely one of the most outstanding of the first six months of the year.
#1 Alex Pereira - UFC light heavyweight champion
While the likes of Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria and Robert Whittaker have enjoyed stellar campaigns thus far in 2024, it's safe to say that for the first six months, the year has belonged to Alex Pereira.
'Poatan' is the only reigning UFC champion to have fought and defended his title twice already this year. It seems highly likely that he won't rest on his laurels and may well pack a third defense into the second half of the year, too.
More than this, though, Pereira has proven himself to be a true fighter's fighter. Not only did he headline the biggest event of them all - UFC 300 - but he was more than willing to fight again at UFC 301 in Brazil just weeks later, too.
That didn't happen, but 'Poatan' did step in on late notice to rescue UFC 303 when Conor McGregor's bout with Michael Chandler fell apart.
Where it matters, of course, in the octagon, the Brazilian has also been incomparable.
He needed just a matter of minutes to starch Jamahal Hill with his famous left hook in his first bout of 2024, settling any doubt as to who the real light-heavyweight champion was.
Last weekend, meanwhile, he essentially knocked out Jiri Prochazka twice, dropping him with the left hook in the first round and putting him down for good with a head kick in the second. That win put an end to their rivalry, too.
Essentially, Pereira has gone from being recognized as a strong champion to a pound-for-pound great and a potential all-time great, all in the last six months. There's no doubt that thus far, 2024 has belonged to 'Poatan'.
