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

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Ilia Topuria. Alex Pereira. That’s it, that’s your race for 2024 Fighter of the 12 months.

And it’s as shut as they arrive.

Let’s begin with Topuria, MMA Preventing’s alternative for the very best performer of the previous calendar yr, 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 yr; he’s already put himself on observe to be the very best 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 style.

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 Fight of the Year award. Suffice to say, there was no purpose to imagine 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 towards 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. Really 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 likelihood, one was inclined to brush off the Volkanovski KO as a consequence of supposed lingering results from Makhachev’s head kick, there was no doable criticism that may very well be levied towards 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 did not register it.

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

Nonetheless can’t imagine it.

So there’s the case for Topuria. If 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 12 months.

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 essential occasion and knock out Jiri Prochazka; then he wanted rather less than three months to headline yet one more time at UFC 307 and knock out Khalil Rountree Jr. Discover the sample?

UFC 303: Pereira v Prochazka 2 — Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira

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

Nobody within the UFC brings the identical stage of pleasure to an enormous combat, with “Poatan” liable to flatten any man standing throughout from him within the blink of an eye fixed. He additionally appears to deliver out the very best (see: Rountree Jr., Khalil) and the worst (see: Hill, Jamahal) in his opponents, guaranteeing that additional stage 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 apparent alternative, 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 yr, Dricus du Plessis would have been the runaway winner for Fighter of the 12 months. Heck, he began off his 2024 marketing campaign by spoiling the primary title protection of our 2023 Fighter of the Year, 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 amazing 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 type simply didn’t scream champion within the eyes of many. And but, he retains discovering a method 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.

UFC 305 Perth — Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis

Two wins towards two prime 5 opponents, and that’s solely adequate 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 tough 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 right 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.

UFC Fight Night: Buckley v Ruziboev — Joaquin Buckley

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 obtainable to ever combat Buckley within the cage and a pair of) had Buckley hopelessly outgunned within the courtroom of public opinion. At this level, it seemed like Buckley was sabotaging himself as some form of avant-garde efficiency artwork piece, that was the one cheap rationalization for it.

Thankfully 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 group in UFC Tampa.

There might need been a couple of extra achieved fighters than Buckley, however nobody flipped their status the other way up as efficiently as he did, and now he’s poised to problem for gold in 2025.

5. Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja may be the very best fighter on the planet. Don’t blame him if he’d already carried out the majority of his most notable work earlier than a UFC belt was even round his waist.

UFC 310: Pantoja v Asakura — Alexandre Pantoja

Extra eyes had been on Pantoja this yr 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 status of a pound-for-pound nice. And Kai Asakura was a hardcore fan favourite as a consequence of his exploits in RIZIN, however he was additionally granted a title shot with zero UFC fights on his document.

You may solely combat 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 latest retirement to take his shot at Pantoja.

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