Our Newcomer of the Year award goes to the fighter who, newly signed to a major promotion, made the biggest impact (in other words, we’re not counting time spent on the regional circuit per se). This year’s winner definitely put his time in over the years in smaller shows, then landed in the UFC and rattled off four straight wins.
Newcomer of the Year 2024
Eddie Law: Carlos Prates. This guy has future UFC champion written all over him. An alumni from DWCS Prates fought four times in 2024, with four finishes, all before the third round, and capped it off with a KO win over welterweight staple Neil Magny to finish off 2024. Prates is well on his way to contendership in 2025.
Jay Anderson: Carlos Prates. While not a “newcomer” to combat sports, outside of a trio of appearances on the ONE Warrior Series, Prates had never been anywhere near a major promotion. Then, after a successful 2023 appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, he landed in the UFC – and rattled off four wins in 2024, while securing his first main event spot opposite Neil Magny.
Gabriel Gonzalez: Shamil Musaev. The champion of few words had a lot to say inside the cage in 2024. At a time when the PFL had acquired Bellator, Musaev was unique in that he had not competed under either banner going into the tournament this year. A newcomer in every sense, Musaev had a breakout year by stopping former interim Bellator champion Logan Storley, besting ONE standout Murad Ramazanov (twice) and stopping the previously undefeated Magomed Umalatov to become a millionaire and new champion.
Bryson Hester: Jean “Lord” Silva. Jean Silva had a nearly flawless 2024. Silva competed three times and scored three stoppage victories. He defeated Westin Wilson in his debut on January 13th. Silva missed weight for his next fight (one of his only blemishes of the year) but he became the first person to KO Charles Jourdain. And Silva earned himself a bonus when the doctor had to step in and stop his fight against Drew Dober in July. And Silva stepped up a weight class in order to take that fight.
Patrick McCorry: Carlos Prates. Four fights, four KOs, and his first main event. This is a no brainer.
Cade Morehouse: Newcomer of the year has to be Carlos Prates. Is that even a question? 4 fights and 4 finishes. What is there to talk about? His win includes a nasty knockout of UFC veteran Neil Magny to close out his year! He has put himself in possible title contention for 2025.
Brett Cagle: Shamil Musaev. Debuting in the 2024 regular season this year, PFL newcomer Shamil Musaev quickly put himself on the radar as one of the top competitors in the world at 170 pounds. Running through the PFL regular season and playoffs, Musaev earned three knockout wins. Two of those victories came against undefeated fighters Murad Ramazanov and Magomed Umalatov. Musaev is a world-class talent with one-punch knockout power in his hands. The sky’s the limit for Musaev who may look to repeat as Welterweight champion in 2025.
Mathis Desjardins: Carlos Prates. This category had a lot of good candidates this year. I thought long and hard about picking Shamil Musaev, who was basically unknown before running through the PFL’s welterweight division and winning its season tournament. However, no rookie took the sport by storm quite like Carlos Prates did with his four Kos, one for each quarter of the calendar. From standard DWCS signee to a main event spot in just one year.
End result: Shamil Musaev got some consideration, but in the end, Carlos Prates was picked by the vast majority of our crew. He’s our 2024 Newcomer of the Year!
