The MMA All-Star Team is back! 2024 is in the books, and it was a pretty great year in terms of MMA. Tons of violent knockouts, slick submissions, and back-and-forth wars made up the past 12 months, and so, as we’ve taken to doing the past few years , it’s time to celebrate the 36 fighters who contributed most to our enjoyment this year. The concept is simple: The three fighters in each weight class who had the best year based on excitement, activity, and accomplishment.
We’re not just talking about who are the best fighters, but which fighters delivered the most entertainment throughout the year. Losses aren’t necessarily disqualifying (so long as the fight was great), and neither are decisions (so long as they weren’t boring). As always, this idea was originated by the great Jordan Breen, who used to do an “ All-Violence Team” for Sherdog .
Shout out to him. Every other major sport has an All-Pro or All-Star team, and this is ours. Welcome to the 2024 All-Violence team.
Heavyweight First Team: Denis Goltsov. Quite possibly my favorite fighter I get to celebrate this year. Three times before this year, Goltsov made it to the PFL heavyweight tournament only to lose in heartbreaking fashion, but 2024 was different.
Not only did Goltsov finally get over the hump to win the title and the $1 million prize, but he did it in style, with four finishes this year, three in the first round. Congrats and well-deserved! Second Team: Marcin Tybura. And after Goltsov, the qua.
