MMAmania's 10 Most Popular Articles Of 2024 — Pt. 1
01/01/2025 09:00 AM
What storylines kept our readers engaged the most in 2024? Let's recap the articles that drove massive amounts of traffic last year!
Another year of mixed martial arts (MMA) action is going into the history books. An advanced apology from myself and my editor when I continually type 2024 in the dates for the next three months.
What will stand out about 2024 in combat sports? A few narratives come to mind, from the will-they, won't-they talk between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall to the undeniable rises of Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira. There were, of course, incredible submissions, stunning upsets and wild back-and-forth wars in the last 12 months, too.
What's fun is that there's no guarantee any of those stories will rank among the most popular of the year here on MMAmania.com. It's always an unpredictable batch! So, as the year comes to a close, what stories drove the most traffic through MMAmania.com amidst the chaos?
Let's take a look at the first batch (No. 6 to No. 10) ...
*** Note: To check out the Top 5 stories at MMAmania.com in 2024 click here at 9 p.m. ET ***
No. 10: Conor McGregor issues formal statement addressing court ruling, admits cheating on his partner — 'I made mistakes'
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Conor McGregor reacts to being found civilly liable for assault, shifts the story onto his infidelity
Why It Blew Up: It should come as no surprise that Mr. McGregor is a staple of these year-end recaps. Even without having fought in ages, the man remains the biggest name in MMA. Between his pinky toe injury and court case, McGregor continued to dominate headlines ... just probably not in the way he would prefer. Also, McGregor confessing to cheating is like Daniel Cormier confessing to fast food.
No. 9: 'Face of boxing' Ryan Garcia shoots down Gervonta Davis rematch: 'I can't do it'
Writer: Alex Behunin
Summary: Ryan Garcia won't fight Gervonta Davis unless it's at 145 pounds.
Why It Blew Up: Ryan Garcia was a consistent source of entertainment, controversy, and yes, hilarious headlines in 2024. He may be sitting in suspension and getting sued, but the boxer's star grew considerably all the same. In this case, the article was timely, posted shortly after Garcia's big Devin Haney win (prior to it being overturned) and featured another of boxing's biggest names to boot.
No. 8: UFC vet Cowboy Cerrone 'rushed into surgery' following bull riding accident, Dana White issues statement
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Donald Cerrone tears his biceps riding a bull, Uncle Dana hooks him up with an elite surgeon
Why It Blew Up: "Cowboy" hasn't won a fight in ages, but he's still a name that casual fight fans recognize. Injury posts often do well, particularly if they happen under bizarre circumstance like a bull-riding accident. What's interesting is that Cerrone also nearly died in a "catastrophic" cave-diving accident — why did this post blow up instead of that one? Who can say.
No. 7: Mike Tyson is being sued for boxing Jake Paul
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Tyson is being sued for nearly $1.59 million for breaking a contract with a gambling company to instead box Paul
Why It Blew Up: 2024 was the year of Mike Tyson. Nobody more consistently produced traffic than "Iron" despite being nearly 60 years of age. Even the worst 8-second clip of Tyson hitting mitts would often have more juice than a full video about somebody else!
I have to give the master his credit as well. Jesse is a wizard with his crafty headlines and puns, but here he was wise enough to play it straight and reap the rewards.
No. 6: Conor McGregor scraps UFC comeback, will instead run for President of Ireland in 2025
Writer: Jesse Holland
Summary: Mac gets political.
Why It Blew Up: McGregor and politics during a US election year is a hotbed for attention. Once more, I must give JH his due, as this time he crafted a lovely headline to call back to McGregor's recent (at the time) pullout from the Michael Chandler fight. Speaking of "Iron," the subheader gave me a laugh as well: "Somewhere in the shadows of ATT, Michael Chandler weeps."
Honorable Mention
Stayed tuned for the five most popular posts of the year, which will run later this evening right here. Until then, checkout some honorable mentions from positions 11-25, which include stories about Jake Paul's assassination attempt, a dying Gordon Ryan, and the boxing match that lost $100 million.
