When you think about the greatest comebacks of all time in MMA, your mind almost certainly goes to Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo. Or maybe Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen I. Great comebacks in fighting almost always have a surreal, “what did I just see” feel to them. There were a couple in the running for our Comeback of the Year 2024, though perhaps not as memorable as the ones we just mentioned. Still, one stood out above the rest.
Comeback of the Year 2024
Eddie Law: Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez. A rematch from a bout two years prior Brian Ortega looked to avenge his loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC Mexico City this past February. The first round saw Rodriguez putting it on Ortega and scoring a knockdown almost finishing the fight. Ortega’s heart showed as he survived the first round and then took Rodriguez down in the third to finish the fight by submission.
Jay Anderson: Neil Magny putting away a tiring Mike Malott in the third round at UFC 297, after Malott had dominated the first 14 minutes of the fight. I was in the building for this one, expecting Malott to soon be backstage speaking with media. Pretty sure the entire media room was expecting that, only for the tables to be turned in the final minute, as Magny had just enough left in him for some ground n’ pound to serve up the TKO finish.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Renato Moicano vs Jalin Turner. When the physically imposing Turner had the dynamic personality in Moicano down and seemingly out, it appeared as if he was on his way to adding to the festivities at UFC 300. In the end, however, Turner celebrating too early led to Moicano rallying back and adding to an all-time great comeback at a night full of seminal moments at UFC 300. Were there other dramatic comebacks in 2024, yes. But only one had the distinction of happening on a historic night.
Bryson Hester: Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez II. Narrowly beating out Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber, is the Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez rematch. The first one ended with a dislocated shoulder for Ortega. Before the fight even started, during introductions Ortega rolled his ankle on his landing from a warmup jump. Yair dropped Ortega early on in the fight too. But Brian clawed his way back in the fight locking in an arm triangle choke in the third round of a fight that had multiple moments where he looked like he was going to lose.
Patrick McCorry: Poirier v Saint Denis- The comeback nature of the KO was incredible. Dustin went from attempting yet another Guillotine, after a very tough first round, to putting the polarizing Frenchman to sleep.
Cade Morehouse: Comeback of the year in a fight was Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez when Ortega hurt his ankle jumping up and down before the fight! He was stunned in the fight a few times trying to get feeling back in his ankle, but proceeded to ultimately get his opponent down. Ortega went on to finish the fight by submission even after it seemed nothing was going his way the night!
Brett Cagle: Brian Ortega Submits Yair Rodriguez. Coming into his rematch with Yair Rodrigez some questioned whether Brain Ortega could still compete with the top fighters at 145-pounds. After appearing to have injured himself in his pre-fight walkout, Ortega overcame an early first-round knockdown. In the third round, Ortega was able to get his revenge finding an Arm Triangle, forcing Rodriguez to tap. This was a redeeming win and resilient performance in the storied career of Brain Ortega.
Mathis Desjardins: Neil Magny def. Mike Malott [UFC 297]. Mike Malott came in as a heavy betting favourite, expected to soundly defeat Neil Magny via superior grappling and enter the rankings. And for about 14 minutes he was doing just that. He comfortably won the first two rounds and all he had to do was survive the third against a Magny who is not exactly known for his finishing prowess. After an incomprehensible implosion from Malott, the savvy veteran Magny got a dominant position and started to relentlessly fire away ground-and-pound shots, forcing the referee to stop the fight with just 15 seconds left. A stunning comeback from the old-timer.
End result: Neil Magny earned a couple of votes, but ultimately, Brian Ortega overcoming adversity against Yair Rodriguez gets the nod!
