5 best UFC fights from 2024 that you may have forgotten feat. Dustin Poirier

The 2024 calendar year was full of amazing UFC fights. It was a year that also witnessed other combat sports like boxing and BJJ shine with various high-profile fights of their own. Nevertheless, the MMA realm particularly delivered some of the most entertaining matchups, many of which transpired inside the UFC's famed octagon.

Some of these matchups didn't receive the deserved appreciation in 2024. A few were complete shut-outs, with one fighter displaying dominance and the other exhibiting admirable resilience. Others were back-and-forth wars.

Today, let's look at a few underrated UFC fights that you may have forgotten from 2024.

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#5 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2

The first fight between archrivals Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera transpired in August 2020. The then-undefeated O'Malley was viewed by many as a future UFC champion. Regardless, Vera upset the apple cart.

'Chito's' leg kicks seemingly contributed to O'Malley suffering a leg injury that severely affected his movement. Vera swiftly capitalized on that and stopped him via TKO in the very first round.

The pair relentlessly traded barbs in the ensuing years. O'Malley ended up capturing the UFC bantamweight championship by knocking out Aljamain Sterling in 2023. 'Sugar's' first title defense was booked to come against none other than Vera!

The O'Malley-Vera rematch headlined UFC 299 in March 2024. The fight was memorable, mainly owing to O'Malley's dominance and Vera's resilience. 'Sugar' utilized his technical striking skills to comfortably outpoint his foe, even landing a hellacious knee on his Ecuadorian foe. Vera survived a vicious onslaught and won hearts. Ultimately, O'Malley won via unanimous decision and exacted revenge.

Vera was then outpointed by ex-UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo later in the year. Meanwhile, O'Malley, who'd just avenged his lone career loss at that point, ended up losing his title to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision in September 2024. Unsurprisingly, the O'Malley-Vera rematch was overshadowed.

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#4 Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2

Tom Aspinall tasted defeat early in his professional MMA career but improved in leaps and bounds before turning into, what many believe, is one of the most well-rounded heavyweights ever. Aspinall was touted as a future UFC heavyweight champion by many fans and experts alike.

However, after initially wreaking havoc in the UFC heavyweight division, the Englishman ran into America's Curtis Blaydes in July 2022. He suffered a knee injury early in round one, and Blaydes thereby won via TKO.

Aspinall rebuilt himself and eventually captured the interim UFC heavyweight championship by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023. Many lobbied for Aspinall to be given the opportunity to face UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next. However, the UFC chose to book Jones against Stipe Miocic in a long-awaited clash between the legends.

Meanwhile, Aspinall was booked to defend his interim title in a rematch against Blaydes. They co-headlined UFC 304 in the U.K. in July 2024. Aspinall entered the fight facing tremendous pressure, eager to right the wrong after having lost to 'Razor' in the U.K. back in 2022.

Aspinall proved his mental fortitude, displayed his physicality (with terrifying speed!), and showcased his fighting spirit by knocking out Blaydes in the very first round.

Unfortunately, the Aspinall-Blaydes rematch didn't receive much attention, as the majority of the discourse about the Briton has been about his seemingly unending wait for a chance to unify the belts against Jones.

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#3 Dan Hooker's war with Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 Down Under

New Zealand's Dan Hooker has previously found himself on the cusp of a shot at the coveted UFC lightweight championship, only to suffer a defeat and fall down the ladder. Regardless, 'The Hangman' worked his way back into the upper echelons at 155 pounds in 2024.

Hooker entered UFC 305 in August 2024, on a two-fight win streak, faced with Poland's Mateusz Gamrot. In their three-round lightweight showdown, which transpired in Australia, the combatants gave fight fans an absolute thriller! 'Gamer' initially appeared to hurt Hooker with a huge right hand.

Gamrot tried to submit a dazed Hooker with a guillotine but then switched to ground and pound. 'The Hangman' survived and eventually stunned his foe with a massive left hand. Gamrot was badly wobbled but somehow managed to make it to the end of the round. The second stanza saw Gamrot use his wrestling to take things to the ground, whereas his Kiwi foe resisted.

Round three was more of Hooker fending off Gamrot's takedowns with guillotine choke attempts. He also hurt 'Gamer' with a variety of strikes on the feet, including a big left hand toward the end of the round and the fight.

Hooker was awarded the split decision win, but both fighters won in the eyes of the fans Down Under!

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#2 Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa ended their respective 2024 runs on a rather unenviable note. Whittaker suffered a one-sided submission defeat against Khamzat Chimaev in October, whereas Costa was outpointed in a one-sided clash against Sean Strickland in June.

Regardless, both fighters gave the fans an exceptional showdown at the beginning of 2024. Their three-round middleweight bout co-headlined UFC 298 in February and saw Costa come dangerously close to stopping the legendary Whittaker after wobbling him with an extraordinary spinning heel kick. 'The Eraser' followed up with a few punches, but the buzzer sounded.

Whittaker seemed to recover well during the break before round two and exercised an abundance of caution, using a lot of lateral movement and feints to ensure he was not a stationary target for any of Costa's attacks.

Both fighters traded beautiful roundhouse kicks throughout the fight and showcased great boxing too. It appeared as though Costa's kicks had more behind them, while Whittaker won the battle of the punches with better timing and accuracy. Alternatively, one could argue that Costa landed stinging jabs, while Whittaker's low kicks worked well.

In round three, Costa even pointed out to the mat, but Whittaker refused to be goaded into a phone booth fight. In the end, the judges handed Whittaker the win via unanimous decision, deeming he'd done enough to outwork his Brazilian foe. Both fighters' ensuing losses somewhat buried this gem of a fight they had earlier in 2024. That said, they've vowed to keep soldiering on in their quest for UFC gold.

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#1 Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis

After being viciously knocked out and failing to win the BMF championship in his rematch against Justin Gaethje in 2023, America's Dustin Poirier returned at UFC 299 in March 2024. Poirier, who himself boasts French heritage, was up against France's Benoit Saint Denis. Their lightweight bout co-headlined the card.

In a classic matchup between the battle-tested veteran and a rising star, it was the old guard that prevailed. Saint Denis enjoyed considerable success in round one, out-striking and forcing the American on the backfoot with his power.

However, 'The Diamond' showcased his veteran savvy and weathered the early storm. Poirier even survived multiple submission attempts and jumped on a few guillotine chokes against Saint Denis -- elite grappling scrambles!

Poirier knocked his opponent down with a left hand in round two. He fired a right hook soon thereafter, knocking 'BSD' out. The Frenchman subsequently suggested that he'd entered the fight with a staph infection and wasn't at his best.

Poirier later criticized him for supposedly trying to downplay the defeat. Be that as it may, their lightweight showdown was an entertaining clash. It was somewhat forgotten due to Poirier's submission defeat in a high-profile title clash against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in June. 'The Diamond' has since vowed to return, possibly one last time.