MMA Fighting’s 2024 Fighter of the Year: Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria. Alex Pereira. That’s it, that’s your race for 2024 Fighter of the Yr.

And it’s as shut as they arrive.

Let’s begin with Topuria, MMA Preventing’s selection for the perfect performer of the previous calendar 12 months and, let’s be frank, the proprietor of among the finest two-fight runs in MMA historical past. Topuria didn’t simply declare a UFC championship this 12 months; he’s already put himself on monitor to be the perfect featherweight fighter of all time.

That’s not hyperbole. He actually simply beat two of the three finest fighters to ever compete at 145 kilos, and until Jose Aldo begins feeling froggy and decides to return to the division, that’s nearly as good because it will get. If something, saying he beat Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway isn’t hyperbolic sufficient: he destroyed Volkanovski and Holloway in historic trend.

First, there was Volkanovski, who entered UFC 298 this previous February with the UFC featherweight title round his waist. True, Volkanovski was coming off of a disappointing head kick loss to light-weight champion Islam Makhachev, however he wasn’t far faraway from a one-sided beatdown of Yair Rodriguez and an exciting five-round duel with Makhachev of their first assembly that gained our 2023 Combat of the Yr award. Suffice to say, there was no purpose to consider Volkanovski had fallen off within the slightest in a weight class he’d by no means misplaced in.

By no means, till he bumped into Topuria.

Within the second spherical of their headlining bout, Topuria splattered Volkanovski in opposition to the cage after connecting with a lightning-fast mixture. Once more, Volkanovski had by no means misplaced at featherweight, a lot much less been laid out like this. It was stunning. Beautiful. Actually one thing followers hadn’t seen earlier than. And given Topuria’s undefeated document and what we find out about him now, inevitable.

If, by some probability, one was inclined to brush off the Volkanovski KO because of supposed lingering results from Makhachev’s head kick, there was no potential criticism that could possibly be levied in opposition to his subsequent knockout of Holloway.

Regardless of having shared the cage with the likes of Aldo, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, The Korean Zombie, Jeremy Stephens, and numerous different hard-hitters, nobody had managed to place Holloway down. Gaethje was the one one to attain a knockdown, a second so stunning that the official scoring didn’t register it.

So Topuria did the inconceivable. Once more. He cracked Holloway’s chin, a number of instances, leaving referee Marc Goddard no selection however to step in and, sure, wave off the bout because of strikes. To Max Holloway falling to strikes.

Nonetheless can’t consider it.

So there’s the case for Topuria. Whenever you’re the person to beat in one of many three deepest divisions in MMA, and you bought there by annihilating two legends, what else can that add as much as however No. 1?

2. Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira isn’t the 2024 Fighter of the Yr.

Sounds form of humorous, doesn’t it?

All Pereira did was give the landmark UFC 300 occasion a correct headliner and knock out Jamahal Hill; then he jumped proper again within the cage two months later to avoid wasting the UFC 303 most important occasion and knock out Jiri Prochazka; then he wanted rather less than three months to headline another time at UFC 307 and knock out Khalil Rountree Jr. Discover the sample?

If Topuria objectively had the extra spectacular in-cage accomplishments, Pereira was clearly the individuals’s selection for this award as “Chama”-Mania unfold throughout America, with followers ravenous to see what matchup he’d guide subsequent and fantasy reserving him in opposition to each opponent 185 kilos and up. In truth, it doesn’t matter who Pereira fights subsequent: He’s the A-side now.

Nobody within the UFC brings the identical degree of pleasure to a giant battle, with “Poatan” liable to flatten any man standing throughout from him within the blink of a watch. He additionally appears to carry out the perfect (see: Rountree Jr., Khalil) and the worst (see: Hill, Jamahal) in his opponents, guaranteeing that additional degree of intrigue that makes a star a star.

It’s unclear what’s subsequent for Pereira, even with No. 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev seemingly the plain selection, however what we will all agree on is that every one eyes are on him no matter he decides to do.

3. Dricus du Plessis

In every other 12 months, Dricus du Plessis would have been the runaway winner for Fighter of the Yr. Heck, he began off his 2024 marketing campaign by spoiling the primary title protection of our 2023 Fighter of the Yr, Sean Strickland.

It wasn’t a dominant efficiency by any means, and had been it not for a pair of thrilling remaining rounds, it might doubtless be remembered for the meandering opening quarter-hour, however none of that issues: Du Plessis was formally a UFC champion when the curtain closed on UFC 297.

This shouldn’t have been an awesome shock given the South African’s 6-0 UFC document, together with a one-sided beatdown of Robert Whittaker, however du Plessis’ unpredictable, unorthodox, and downright funky fashion simply didn’t scream champion within the eyes of many. And but, he retains discovering a option to win.

When he stepped into the cage with Israel Adesanya, a two-time middleweight champion, the stylistic matchup ought to have favored Adesanya and the bout ought to have restored order within the division. As an alternative, du Plessis swung his chaos hammer to nice impact as soon as extra and have become the primary fighter to power Adesanya to faucet out.

Two wins in opposition to two top-5 opponents, and that’s solely ok for second runner-up? High spot or not, this was a run to recollect.

4. Joaquin Buckley

Wanting again now, it’s in all probability troublesome for a few of you to recollect how down Joaquin Buckley’s inventory was simply seven months in the past.

Regardless of clearly placing his profession again heading in the right direction with a well timed drop again all the way down to welterweight, Buckley practically derailed the entire rattling factor with an absurd callout of Conor McGregor after beating Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC St. Louis. Full with what would kindly be described as an try at an Irish accent, Buckley delivered some of the misguided and pointless challenges ever, leading to widespread ridicule and bewilderment.

Someway, it received worse. Buckley went on to feud with Cub Swanson and Daniel Cormier, a pair of beloved elder statesmen who 1) weren’t truly accessible to ever battle Buckley within the cage and a pair of) had Buckley hopelessly outgunned within the court docket of public opinion. At this level, it regarded like Buckley was sabotaging himself as some form of avant-garde efficiency artwork piece, that was the one cheap clarification for it.

Fortuitously for Buckley, his anti-promotion didn’t get in the best way of his performances as he went on to knock out Stephen Thompson after which adopted that with a logical callout of Kamaru Usman. Now we had been getting someplace. Buckley capped off a 4-0 marketing campaign with a one-sided whupping of Colby Covington, then talked about Usman, Leon Edwards, and Belal Muhammad as potential opponents, a lot to the delight of the gang in UFC Tampa.

There may need been just a few extra achieved fighters than Buckley, however nobody flipped their fame the wrong way up as efficiently as he did, and now he’s poised to problem for gold in 2025.

5. Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja is likely to be the perfect fighter on this planet. Don’t blame him if he’d already accomplished the majority of his most notable work earlier than a UFC belt was even round his waist.

Extra eyes had been on Pantoja this 12 months than ever earlier than, which might be why there was some disappointment when it got here to his two title challengers. Steve Erceg was a pleasant story, having earned a title shot seemingly as a result of Pantoja wanted an opponent to headline UFC 301 in Brazil, however didn’t precisely have the fame of a pound-for-pound nice. And Kai Asakura was a hardcore fan favourite because of his exploits in RIZIN, however he was additionally granted a title shot with zero UFC fights on his document.

You’ll be able to solely battle who’s in entrance of you, and whereas Erceg and Asakura don’t have the identical identify worth as Volkanovski, Holloway, Poirier, Prochazka, Strickland, and Adesanya, there’s nothing Pantoja can do about that, particularly contemplating he already holds a number of wins over the 125 elite. He gained an thrilling scrap with Erceg after which shut down the intriguing Asakura, excelling to the purpose that followers had been debating whether or not Demetrious Johnson ought to finish his current retirement to take his shot at Pantoja.

“Mighty Mouse” flatly denied having any curiosity in preventing once more, however once you’re being talked about in the identical breath because the all-time finest in your division, you realize you’re doing one thing proper.

Right here is how voting for MMA Preventing’s 2024 Fighter of the Yr performed out

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