It’s time once again to dish out our year-end awards, with 2023 officially in the books. There were plenty of fresh faces who popped up on the MMA scene in 2023, plenty of rookies who made an impression in the major promotions, especially considering the feeder system that Dana White’s Contender Series has become for the UFC.
Who stood out the most among the best new fighters last year? One fighter got the nod as our 2023 Newcomer of the Year. It might not be who you think.
Newcomer of the Year 2023
Eddie Law: It’s hard to not pick Bo Nickal here. Undefeated record, the man had to win at Contender Series TWICE in order to earn a UFC contract. He turned that into two first-round finishes and earned a spot on the upcoming monster UFC 300 in April.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Jesus Pinedo. The championships gave Pinedo the perfect bow to wrap a Newcomer of the Year campaign for 2023. While his knockout of defending champion Brendan Loughnane to secure his place in the playoffs (and bounce Loughnane from the tournament) may be the more epic finish, the fact that he exacted revenge on fellow upstart Gabriel Braga to win the tournament made for a perfect Cinderella story to cap off the year.
Jay Anderson: I suspect the casual fan and even a lot of hardcores will put forward Bo Nickal as Newcomer of the Year. In terms of sheer potential, he might be, but in 2023, his first year in the UFC, he finished a pair of fighters he was expected to finish, as a huge favorite. One of whom stepped in on short notice. On the flip side, Diego Lopes made his debut on short notice, put on a war with Movsar Evloev, then finished Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini. He gets my nod as Newcomer of the Year. It’s all about strength of competition.
Jamie Theodosi: Steve Erceg. For me, this award was down to two people, Erceg and Diego Lopes. The Brazilian has become fans favourite over his impressive year, but I’ve edged with Erceg because he’s finishing the year at rank 12 in the flyweight division. That is extremely impressive in his rookie UFC year.
Val Dewar: Diego Lopes. After taking home Submission of the Year, Lobo MMA’s BJJ coach Diego Lopes takes home his second award from me with Newcomer of the Year. Lopes had three fights in 2023, winning two of them by first-round finish and losing the other in a competitive decision on a PPV main card. Yet that loss was what really put him over the top, because taking on an undefeated, top-ranked featherweight in one’s debut, pushing that fighter to the limit, and earning a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus really pushed Diego into the limelight, forcing MMA fans to take notice.
Cade Morehouse: Diego Lopes is the newcomer of the year for 2023. He took at short notice fight against Movsar Evloev and almost won the fight with his elite Jiu Jitsu. He went on to finish Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini to finish off his year and roll in hot to 2024.
Patrick McCorry: Diego Lopes. Captured fans hearts, with a short notice war, and proved his worth by finishing two stud prospects, Tucker and Sabatini
Shawn Bitter: Steve Erceg made his UFC debut on short notice against David Dvorak. David was ranked in the top 15 and Erceg dominated him. He then beat Alessandro Costa in a good fight. Erceg is now ranked 12 at flyweight.
End result: Diego Lopes takes it, winning our 2023 Newcomer of the Year award. Honorable mentions go out to Steve Erceg, Bo Nickal, and Jesus Pinedo.
