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Every year in the UFC, up-and-coming fighters look to break out as new stars. The best way to do this, of course, is to produce excellence inside the octagon.
2024 has seen a number of fighters produce breakout performances in the UFC, and they're now on the cusp of both title contention and stardom.
Whether they follow these breakout performances by stepping up further, only time will tell, but for now, 2024 has belonged partially to them.
Here are five UFC fighters who have produced a breakout performance in 2024.
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#5. Lerone Murphy - UFC featherweight contender
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Coming into 2024, the UK's Lerone Murphy had already marked himself out as a man to watch in the featherweight division.
After debuting in the UFC in 2019 with a strong performance in a draw with Zubaira Tukhugov, 'The Miracle' had slowly been climbing the ranks. Wins over the likes of Ricardo Ramos, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Joshua Culibao took his octagon record to 5-0-1 and his overall record to 13-0-1. Despite this, though, he was still clearly unproven against higher level foes.
That changed this May, when the sharpshooting striker was matched with dangerous veteran Edson Barboza in his first five-round bout.
Despite Barboza being 38 years old, 'Junior' was still clearly Murphy's toughest ever foe, and he was coming off back to back wins over Billy Quarantillo and Sodiq Yusuff.
The Brit, though, completely dismantled him across five rounds, and didn't even need to outwrestle him as many of Barboza's other foes had looked to do. Instead, his movement and ramrod jab shut the Brazilian down entirely, wobbling him at points and basically preventing him from having any success.
Murphy didn't get a finish, but this was still an eye-opening performance that saw him rise up in the top 15 at 145 pounds and ensured that all UFC fans now know his name.
A couple more showings like this, and he'll be in title contention.
#4. Caio Borralho - UFC middleweight contender
While Caio Borralho's win over former UFC middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier came with a tiny caveat, it's still fair to call it a breakout performance. 'The Natural' came into the clash riding an unbeaten streak dating back to 2015, and had already picked up six wins in the octagon.
However, there were still a number of questions around his overall game, namely how his standup would fare against an opponent capable of stopping his takedown.
Those questions were answered in his August bout with Cannonier. Not only did he beat 'The Killa Gorilla', but he did most of his best work standing, breaking the former title challenger down with low kicks and big combinations.
Perhaps just as importantly, he showed his own toughness, fighting through a nasty cut and some heavy shots from Cannonier before coming close to a fifth round finish.
He dropped Cannonier with a one-two, hammered him on the ground, and was hunting for an arm triangle choke as the fight ended.
Sure, it's worth noting that Cannonier was only a couple of months off a controversial TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov, but to shut him down like this was still a big eye-opener.
The middleweight division feels like it's on the cusp of change right now, and after this breakout showing, Borralho should be heavily involved in the title scene.
#3. Payton Talbott - UFC bantamweight contender
Sometimes, a fighter can break out as a potential star without even beating a big name or a top contender. They show so much talent in a win over a lower-level foe that it's impossible to ignore them.
That's what bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott has done in 2024. The 26-year old has yet to break into the top 15 at 135 pounds, but based on what he's shown so far, it only feels like a matter of time.
Talbott got his year started with an excellent knockout win over another highly touted fighter in Cameron Saaiman. It was his finish of Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303 that really got people to take note, though.
Handed a chunk of the spotlight on what was one of the biggest events of the year, Talbott needed just 19 seconds to claim a $50k bonus. He cracked his foe with a brutal right hand that sat him down, and finished him off with a salvo of follow-up shots literally seconds later.
The message following the win was clear - Talbott is ready for a big step up. While it's likely now that he'll get that in 2025, it's fair to call this one of 2024's best breakout showings as he's now marked himself as a star of the future.
#2. Sean Brady - UFC welterweight contender
The latest fighter to produce a breakout performance in 2024 is Sean Brady. The Philadelphia-based grappler put on a show to outpoint former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns this weekend, and is now on the cusp of contention at 170 pounds.
Prior to his win over Burns, Brady was widely considered one of the division's dark horses. A powerful grappler with a brutal submission game, he climbed into the top 15 with five straight wins from 2019 to 2021, taking his record to 15-0.
However, a knockout loss to Belal Muhammad suggested that he'd struggle with opponents who could stop his takedown. While he did rebound with an excellent tapout of Kelvin Gastelum in 2023, that issue still hung over him leading into this weekend's fight.
Now, though, all the questions around Brady's standup have been answered. Not only did he outpower Burns on the ground, but he also got the better of 'Durinho' standing, breaking him down with a series of thudding low kicks and punching combinations.
Brady didn't get the finish he'd have liked, but this was still an eye-opening performance from him, and he proved a lot of his doubters wrong in the process. He's now well set to make a run at the welterweight title in 2025.
#1. Umar Nurmagomedov - UFC bantamweight contender
The fighter to produce the best breakout performance in the UFC thus far in 2024 is definitely Umar Nurmagomedov.
The undefeated Dagestani came into his bout with the dangerous Cory Sandhagen in August boasting an unbeaten 17-0 record. However, he'd never beaten any real elite-level fighters, with his best win probably being Raoni Barcelos.
Sandhagen, on the other hand, held wins over the likes of Song Yadong, Frankie Edgar, and Marlon Vera, and had pushed Petr Yan and TJ Dillashaw to their limits. The question of whether Nurmagomedov could bully 'The Sandman' as he'd done to all of his previous opponents was a very fair one to ask.
'Young Eagle', though, answered that question firmly.
Over five rounds, not only did he display his trademark grappling skills, dragging Sandhagen around the octagon and taking dominant positions on numerous occasions, but he also did well standing, too.
'The Sandman' never came close to hurting or knocking the Dagestani out, while Nurmagomedov displayed a level of striking that he hadn't needed to show off before.
The win sent a clear message to the rest of the UFC's bantamweight division that 'Young Eagle' is absolutely ready for a title shot.
With any luck, he'll get a crack at Sean O'Malley or Merab Dvalishvili in 2025, and based on this breakout showing, he's got the ability to potentially dethrone either man.
