2024 UFC Futures: New Champions, New Comebacks, and UFC 300
Expect More Upsets, Title Changes, and Big Returns
2023 did not disappoint for UFC. We saw 11 new champions crowned with a few of these being big upsets led by Sean Strickland and Alexa Grasso.
The “GOAT” Jon Jones returned and became a two-division champion. This year, we can do something even better. We already have events for the first quarter of the season, headlined by UFC 300 in April. What should we expect for the 2024 UFC futures?
UFC 297 to UFC 300: The First Quarter
Most of the UFC’s significant events happened early in 2023. Grasso upset Valentina Shevchenko, Jones made his triumphant return, and Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski put together the “Fight of the Year” in a ‘champion versus champion’ blockbuster.
On paper, the early 2024 UFC futures do not have the name value. But it could still surprise.
UFC 297 in January features two competitive title bouts based on the UFC betting odds. Strickland defends his title against Dricus du Plessis as a -125 favorite.
Meanwhile, Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington fight for the newly vacated women’s bantamweight title. The former is the -170 favorite. Either fight could go either way, so we may be crowning two new champions to start the year. And for UFC 298 and UFC 299, we have Volkanovski and Sean O’Malley defending their belts, respectively.
“Volk” is just a slight favorite at -165 against Ilia Topuria. He’s coming off a knockout loss in a rematch against Makhachev, while Topuria is unbeaten. Meanwhile, O’Malley rematches Marlon Vera, the only fighter to beat him, as a -200 favorite.
All of this builds up to UFC 300, already garnering plenty of spicy rumors as Dana White and the matchmakers look to make it one of its biggest UFC events ever.
UFC 300: The Return of the “Mac”?
Conspicuously missing from 2023 is Conor McGregor. It was the second straight year where “Mystic Mac” did not fight in the octagon. Instead, he has his eyes set on UFC 300. Who he fights is the million-dollar question.
A fourth fight with Dustin Poirier or a trilogy with Nate Diaz are tasty offerings. But as the 2024 UFC futures have it, the match with Michael Chandler is the likeliest possibility. Both are lined at pick’em odds, given their heavy-handed styles. Any of these fights should thrill and will make for a spectacular co-main event.
That is on top of three announced bouts featuring two former champions in Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling, and the hottest prospect in, Bo Nickal. Prochazka and Sterling take on Aleksander Rakic and Calvin Kattar, respectively, at tightly lined fights, while Nickal is a whopping favorite again at -1450.
With UFC 300 already building up to huge, who could headline it? Jon Jones returning to fight Stipe Miocic or unifying it against Tom Aspinall are logical possibilities. Alex Pereira, the new light heavyweight champion, fighting Aspinall is another tantalizing idea.
Fans will just have to exchange bold UFC predictions until White makes anything official. But as he’s hinted, he’s working on something “big.”
UFC Fighters to Watch in 2024
Jones, Strickland, Makhachev, and Grasso were four of the biggest winners for 2023. Throw in Alexandre Pantoja and Leon Edwards and it was a bountiful year for some of the UFC’s top talent. We’ll see no shortage of winning in 2024 again and several UFC fighters could be worth eyeing as far as potential betting opportunities.
Khamzat Chimaev and Shavkat Rakhmanov are two contenders worth betting on to become UFC champions by year’s end. The unbeaten Chimaev just beat Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion, in a middleweight bout. And he could get a title shot with another big win. And Rakhmanov, another fighter with a perfect record, is now firmly in the title picture at 170 pounds.
The women’s strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, fought just once in 2023. But she’s already hollered at Grasso for a ‘champion versus champion’ bout. She’ll likely be favored here and could be the next female to become a double champion.
And speaking of Grasso, Johnny Walker may just be the next big underdog. He’s facing Magomed Ankalaev with a line of +350 to start 2024. But should he beat Ankalaev, he’ll likely get the next crack at Pereira’s title. And given Walker’s unpredictable and explosive style, it is not crazy to think he could shock the world and win gold.
For UFC betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
