The UFC kicks off its 2024 calendar year on Saturday, hosting UFC Vegas 84 at the Apex in Las Vegas with Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker running it back in the main event.
Ankalaev and Walker first met last year, with the fight ending early when an illegal knee left Walker unable to continue (or so it seemed, as a miscommunication was later blamed). With no one satisfied with the No Contest that resulted, the decision was made to book a second showdown, with five rounds or less awaiting the light heavyweight pair.
UFC Vegas 84 was to feature a promising second rematch in the co-main event, with Manel Kape and Matheus Nicolau also set to throw down for the second time. Kape badly blew weight, however, resulting in the fight being scratched. Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benitez will instead serve as the UFC Vegas 84 co-headliner, while heavyweights Andre Arlovski and Waldo Cortes-Acosta have been promoted to the main card.
After a close race between our writers in 2023, we’re back with our staff picks, and a clean slate! Just four fights are being picked this week due to Kape vs. Nicolau falling through at weigh-ins.
| Writer/Fight | Hawes vs. Ferreira | Simon vs. Bautista | Miller vs Benitez | Ankalaev vs. Walker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Theodosi |  |  |  |  |
| Val Dewar | | |  | |
| Alex Behunin |  | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik | | | | |
| Cade Morehouse | |  | | |
| Patrick McCorry | | | |  |
| Eddie Law | | | | |
| Jay Anderson | | | | |
If there’s anything close to a lock on the UFC Vegas 84 card among our team, it’s veteran Jim Miller. Only one writer responding selected Gabriel Benitez to get the nod in their lightweight fight— perhaps a sign of how badly we want to see Miller head into UFC 300 in April.
In the main event, all but two writers selected Magomed Ankalaev to get his hand raised over Johnny Walker. Similar margins were found in Ferreira vs. Hawes and Simon vs. Bautista.
