With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Joshua Van def. Cody Durden at UFC 310
Although it was largely one-way traffic, Joshua Van (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Cody Durden (17-7-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) showed once again why the flyweights are beloved in a high output, bloody battle.
Van landed a remarkable 165 significant strikes over 15 minutes to win a unanimous decision, turning Durden’s face into pulp in the process. Durden hung tough, however, taking all the shots and never dropping from the first to final bell.
Nominee: Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310
Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remained undefeated after a high-paced grappling battle against former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC).
The UFC-ranked top 10 matchup was an anticipated bout, and it delivered with an exhausting pace of wrestling scrambles. After 15 minutes, Evloev maintained his unblemished record by winning a unanimous decision over Sterling to make his push toward a featherweight title shot.
Nominee: Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310
Former training partners Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) were well-acquainted as they entered their welterweight title eliminator. Each fought measured without much risk, which was perhaps a sign of the respect they had for each other.
It was a competitive and compelling affair for all five rounds, however. Machado Garry almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a late submission, but ultimately Rakhmonov was the one who left with an undefeated record – and title shot – in his favor by way of unanimous decision.
The Winner
The winner: Cub Swanson def. Billy Quarantillo at UFC on ESPN 63
Cub Swanson (30-14 MMA, 15-10 UFC) added what might be the final sensational highlight to his reel against a very game Billy Quarantillo (18-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC).
After a back-and-forth featherweight battle, Swanson found the fight-ending knockout punch on Quarantillo early in the third round of the Fight of the Night, and afterward the 41-year-old said it could be his final appearance in MMA competition.
With the $50,000 bonus, Swanson passed Max Holloway for first place all-time among 145-pound bonus and Fight of the Night recipients, which is one of many great accolades he will be able to gloat about after his fighting career.
Cast Your Vote!
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for December: Cub Swanson sets Fight of the Night record in potential career finale
