5 UFC moments in 2024 that got the wildest reactions from Joe Rogan and other commentators

The UFC has witnessed many barnburners go down inside its famed octagon since the MMA organization was founded in 1993. The 2024 calendar year notably saw some of the most thrilling matchups ever -- be it Max Holloway's buzzer-beating KO to win the BMF championship or Alex Pereira's streak of knockouts.

Veteran UFC color commentator Joe Rogan and his fellow broadcast team staples -- such as former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier and play-by-play commentator Jon Anik -- all had interesting reactions to some of the best moments from the year.

The UFC recently unraveled footage of some of the best commentator reactions from 2024. Today, we'll look at some of the wildest reactions from that compilation.

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#5 Merab Dvalishvili's chaotic fight against 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley

Merab Dvalishvili dethroned Sean O'Malley via unanimous decision to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. They clashed in the headlining match of the UFC 306 (aka Riyadh Season Noche UFC) event, which transpired at the Sphere in Vegas in September 2024.

The fight started in chaotic fashion, with O'Malley's corner -- mainly head coach Tim Welch -- supposedly attempting to confuse Dvalishvili by shouting instructions to him. O'Malley had notably knocked out Dvalishvili's friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling to win the belt in 2023, and Welch had famously utilized a similar tactic back then.

Well, Dvalishvili didn't take too kindly to Welch's actions and started talking back to him while the first round got underway. Referee Herb Dean paused the action, cautioned 'The Machine' against talking to his opponent's corner, and also warned O'Malley's corner (mainly Welch).

Another notably chaotic sequence in the fight transpired toward the closing moments of round two. Dvalishvili had O'Malley trapped against the fence and delivered multiple kisses to the American's back. Herb Dean separated them, warning Dvalishvili not to kiss his foe. O'Malley then attempted to strike and hurt Dvalishvili before the round ended.

UFC commentators Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and Jon Anik were in splits on realizing Dean's warning about the kissing. Cormier jestingly asserted:

"This is the weirdest fight. Excessive coaching and kissing; this is what we're dealing with in this fight."

#4 Alex Pereira's war with Khalil Rountree Jr.

Alex Pereira is a former Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion, a former UFC middleweight champion, and the reigning UFC light heavyweight kingpin. Pereira fought thrice in 2024 -- defending his light heavyweight title with knockouts over Jamahal Hill in April, Jiri Prochazka in June, and Khalil Rountree Jr. in October.

Pereira's most recent fight, a blood-soaked thriller, saw him finish a dangerous Rountree via TKO in round four at UFC 307 in October 2024. Rountree suffered worrisome facial damage in the fight. Commentators Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and Jon Anik watched intently as 'Poatan' systematically picked the Muay Thai savant apart in a fight that primarily played out on the feet.

Alluding to how some blood from the fight was splattered out of the octagon and over the commentary desk, Rogan stated:

"There's blood all over the table in front of Jon Anik."

Cormier claimed that some blood had spilled onto his phone, a photo of which set the MMA community abuzz later on. 'DC' said:

"Oh! Look at my phone! Take a picture of this and send it to me, please, Joe. Look at my phone! Oh my goodness!"

#3 Ilia Topuria's thunderous knockout against Alexander Volkanovski

Ilia Topuria competed twice in 2024, securing two stunning knockouts against all-time greats at featherweight. The Georgian-Spaniard first dethroned Alexander Volkanovski to become the UFC featherweight champion at UFC 298 in February 2024. 'El Matador' notched his first successful title defense by KO'ing Max Holloway (the first fighter to knock Holloway out) at UFC 308 in October 2024.

Topuria's second-round KO win over Volkanovski elicited interesting reactions from the commentators. Rogan seemed stunned. Jon Anik was on his feet. Meanwhile, UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping seemed similarly astonished. 'The Count' notably recounted that Topuria had promised to stumble and crumble Volkanovski, and he kept his word. Bisping said:

"He said he was going to stumble and crumble him."

Rogan added:

"Oh my goodness! That power. He's still down. He's still out cold."

Thankfully, Volkanovski regained consciousness, subsequently returned to training, and is on a quest to reclaim that featherweight championship that Topuria still held.

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#2 Alex Pereira's terrifying stoppage of Jiri Prochazka, eerie aftermath sequence

Alex Pereira captured the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship by stopping former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jiri Prochazka via second-round TKO in November 2023. He then defended his title against Jamahal Hill at the landmark UFC 300 event.

Pereira's next fight was a rematch against Prochazka at UFC 303 in June 2024. The matchup was put together on short notice after the event's original headliner Conor McGregor was ruled out due to a toe injury. The Brazilian striking wizard knocked 'BJP' down with a left hook toward the end of round one.

Wasting little time in round two, he measured and caught Prochazka with a left roundhouse kick to the head. Prochazka was knocked down again, and the fight was waved off. The medical personnel and others attending to the Czech combatant helped him back to his feet.

Then, a rather eerie sequence followed, which many fans discussed at the time. Pereira's eyes met those of Prochazka, and the latter -- presumably still dazed from the knockout -- stumbled.

Commentator Jon Anik seemed thrilled by the spectacular stoppage, shouting about the same. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan, who'd warned that Prochazka was "real wobbly" after the knockdown in round one, looked amazed after the round two stoppage. Moreover, Cormier seemed impressed.

Akin to what many observers later opined, Rogan suggested that they shouldn't have helped Prochazka back to his feet and rather made him sit down after the brutal knockout. Cormier agreed with him. They also pointed out that 'Poatan' might've reinjured his toe again. Rogan said:

"I mean, my goodness. My goodness ... They shouldn't have let him [Prochazka] stand up."

#1 Max Holloway's BMF KO against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300

One of the marquee matchups at the landmark UFC 300 event in April 2024 saw former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway take on then-BMF champion Justin Gaethje. The fight was contested at lightweight and had Gaethje's symbolic BMF belt at stake. 'Blessed' put on a striking clinic, ultimately KO'ing Gaethje in a wild phone booth exchange at the 4:59-minute mark of the fifth and final round.

Holloway's last-second KO won the BMF title, which he still holds. Also, what made the accomplishment even better was that it came against someone many consider one of the most violent and entertaining knockout artists at lightweight, ex-interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Joe Rogan appeared to have been sent into a tizzy by the knockout. The podcast mogul and longtime UFC commentator got up from his seat, and so did Jon Anik. Daniel Cormier seemed stunned as well. Rogan then sat down before getting back up again, possibly owing to the adrenaline rush from having witnessed the buzzer-beating finish.

At a loss for words at the moment, Rogan collected himself and later explained that Holloway used his iconic point-to-the-ground gesture for a brawl, which precipitated the KO sequence. He noted: