If 2023 proved anything to us in the mixed martial arts world, it's that British stars didn't come to take part. They came to take over. 

Throughout this calendar year, fighters from the United Kingdom have proved their worth across all aspects of the UFC - with two finding significant success.

Leon 'Rocky' Edwards retained his welterweight title on two occasions, against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, to end the year as champion yet again.

Meanwhile, Manchester's Tom Aspinall claimed the interim light heavyweight title back in November after an inspiring first-round win against Sergei Pavlovich.

And so, here, Mail Sport assesses which British stars could potentially join Aspinall and Edwards in achieving UFC gold in 2024? 

Twenty-three-year-old flyweight star Mohammad Mokaev can look back on his year and reflect upon it as another step in the right direction for his promising career.

With two fights and two wins under his belt in 2023, Mokaev proved he's a serious contender in the flyweight division. 

Admittedly, his win against Jafel Filho in March came with a bit more adversity than he'd have hoped - after getting caught in an excruciating knee-bar - but, if anything, it proved his immense resilience. 

Mokaev had previously set aspirations of a flyweight title fight for March 2024 however that doesn't look likely at the minute. 

Despite that, you can't rule it out that the British star gets the opportunity to fight for the belt at some point in the next year, should he get off to a strong start.

While Pimblett's 2023 may have been marred by an ankle injury, the Liverpudlian fighter will be pleased with himself as he heads into the new year. 

'The Baddy's only fight this year came in the recent UFC 296 card where he secured a unanimous decision victory over veteran lightweight Tony Ferguson. 

While he didn't manage to secure a finish in the fight, it's fair to say Pimblett looked much improved from his last fight, a contentious victory over Jared Gordon last December. 

The 28-year-old is still yet to break into the UFC's top 15 rankings in the lightweight division, however, which makes his odds at a title shot in 2024 somewhat slim. 

However, that doesn't mean that 'The Baddy' can't rise significantly up the rankings during that time and put himself in with a good shout at fighting for gold in 2025.

Michael 'Venom' Page's inclusion in this list is somewhat impressive, given the fact he's not actually fought in the UFC yet. 

Page made his name with rival organisation Bellator for a decade between 2013 and 2023 before officially signing with the UFC this month. 

UFC chief Dana White has confirmed a debut UFC welterweight outing for Page versus Kevin Holland in March 2024.

UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami will be headlined by a Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera. 

Holland, ranked No 12 in the UFC, will be a formidable opponent for the 36-year-old however a win over the American could launch Page up the rankings in 2024. 

While 2023 may not have gone the way Arnold Allen would have hoped, there's still much to look forward to in the new year for the featherweight star. 

Despite his unanimous decision defeat to Max Holloway back in April, Allen is still one of the most promising featherweight stars out there. 

He still sits third in the division's rankings and, following Alexander Volkanovski's bout against Ilia Topuria in February 2024, Allen could be knocking on the door for a title shot.

He'll face Movsar Evloev at UFC 297 in January, where a victory could take him within reaching distance of Volkanovski's coveted featherweight title.

In all honesty, it was a tough year for Molly 'Meatball' McCann. 

After falling to a submission defeat back in November of last year, 'Meatball' suffered the same fate when she came up against Julija Stoliarenko in July. 

All it took was one round for the Lithuanian to force a tap from the Liverpudlian star and, in turn, hand McCann back-to-back defeats. 

Back in November, McCann recorded an impressive win in her pro grappling debut before delivering an emotional post-fight speech about her recent battles with online hate.

'I'm being a bit emotional because I've been rinsed alive because of my last two fights in the UFC,' McCann said.

'I'm sorry for being emotional but it's hard to take on the chin every day and silence [my critics]. 

'I've just come here at the mercy of everyone online to do something I'm not that great at, or people think I'm not that great at. But here we are, I've got a win.' 

For her next UFC fight, McCann will take on Romania's Diana Belbita, with 'Meatball' dropping down a weight class. 

She will make her debut in the strawweight division on February 3 this year - the organisation have announced. 

A title shot seems almost impossible for McCann however, should she be able to find her form inside the octagon once again, there's no doubt she can rise back up the rankings.