Who should be Fighter of the Year? The battle between Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria
Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria have found themselves locked in combat. However, it isn't a battle taking place inside the octagon, nor is it for a new form of UFC gold. Instead, the two phenoms are now frontrunners for Fighter of the Year, and given what they've accomplished this year, who should win?
In Pereira's case, he has stepped in on short notice time and time again, saving the UFC whenever a main event fell through or a weak card needed true star power. No injury could stop him. No UFC champion could either, as he brutalized several former champs this year.
Meanwhile, Topuria has become the promotion's resident legend-killer, annihilating two of the greatest featherweights of all time, and becoming the first fighter to ever crack the previously impregnable chin of the legendary Max Holloway: a feat that not even Conor McGregor in his prime could manage.
So then who should be 2024's Fighter of the Year?
The argument for Alex Pereira over Ilia Topuria
A lot went into Alex Pereira's 2024 campaign. He fought more frequently than any top star in the promotion, often from a disadvantaged position. UFC 300 was the highest-profile MMA event of the year, challenged only by Noche UFC 306. The company CEO, Dana White, promised a headliner unlike any other.
Unfortunately, the UFC could coax neither Conor McGregor nor Jon Jones back in time. Moreover, rumors circulated that he had tried, to no avail, to convince Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, or Israel Adesanya to step in as the main event. With no other option left, Pereira was asked to step up and he accepted.
He faced Jamahal Hill, a former light heavyweight champion he was already slated to fight at UFC 301. With less time to prepare, 'Poatan' authored a stellar performance. He brushed off a groin kick from Hill in viral fashion, stopping Herb Dean from pausing the action without ever taking his eyes off his opponent.
Check out Alex Pereira's knockout of Jamahal Hill:
Seconds later, he floored Hill with his trademark left hook and pounced with ground-and-pound for a round one TKO, defending his light heavyweight title for the first time. Standing over Hill's unconscious body, Pereira celebrated in yet another viral moment, but he wasn't done yet, despite having a broken toe.
UFC 303 was supposed to be the return of Conor McGregor, who was expected to settle his feud with Michael Chandler in the headliner. Unfortunately, 'The Notorious' fractured his toe and the UFC called on another fighter with a broken toe to step in, with Pereira gladly accepting.
On two weeks notice, 'Poatan' agreed to rematch another former light heavyweight champion in striking dynamo Jiří Procházka, who was said to have given him one of his toughest fights at UFC 295, which was marred by accusations of an early stoppage. So, Pereira entered UFC 303 with a point to prove.
With a broken toe and barely recovered from the weight cut of UFC 300, Pereira—already familiar with Procházka's wild style—didn't need a feeling-out process to make reads. He sat the Czech samurai down with a thunderous left hook toward the end of round one, and it was clear that a Pereira win was inevitable.
Check out Alex Pereira's TKO against Jiří Procházka in their rematch:
Procházka couldn't get anything going and never recovered from being knocked down. Just 13 seconds later in round two, Pereira flattened him with a switch kick, following up with punches until the referee stepped in to save Procházka's life.
At this point, the question at light heavyweight was whether anyone could stop Pereira and how a heavyweight stint might go. Four months later, 'Poatan' would again defend his title. This time it was against the dangerous Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.
When both men locked horns, it was clear that Rountree's speed posed a problem. Pereira needed to figure him out, having a slower start, which cost him. He was dropped by Rountree, but as he began breaking him down with low kicks and body shots, an exhausting Rountree became a sitting duck.
Check out Alex Pereira's highlights against Khalil Rountree Jr.:
Pereira jabbed him to oblivion, setting up a fourth-round demolition, blasting Rountree's midsection before flooring him with uppercuts to defend his title for the third time this year. But was it enough to beat Topuria's year?
The argument for Ilia Topuria over Alex Pereira
What Ilia Topuria lacked in over-the-top activity and a willingness to fight compromised, he made up for with his GOAT-killing ways. He started the year off at UFC 298, where he faced then-featherweight champion, the all-time great Alexander Volkanovski.
The buildup to their fight was defined by Topuria's bulletproof confidence. He promised to knock Volkanovski out in round one and was dismissed as delusional for his promises. But Topuria's predictions didn't end there. He preemptively updated his Instagram bio, naming himself as champion and improving his record.
This incensed Volkanovski, who vowed to take pleasure in Topuria having to remove those descriptions from his bio after beating him. Except, Volkanovski didn't beat him. Topuria expertly cut off the cage, punishing Volkanovski for his habit of getting into pocket-boxing exchanges only to lean away from shots.
Check out Ilia Topuria's knockout of Alexander Volkanovski:
Topuria cornered him against the cage, where Volkanovski had nowhere else to lean back to. One pocket-boxing exchange later, Topuria knocked him out cold in round two. Next, he faced the great Max Holloway, the 'BMF' champion and a former featherweight champion.
Holloway had never been knocked out. Furthermore, it was debatable if he had ever even been knocked down. Not Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, or anyone had ever managed to even dent 'Blessed's' chin. So when Topuria promised to be the first to knock him out, he was scoffed at.
However, his detractors were again reminded of the dangers of dismissing Topuria's predictions. While Holloway was coming off one of the greatest-ever knockouts in UFC history, he now faced likely the most skilled mixed martial artist he has ever seen.
Check out Ilia Topuria knocking out Max Holloway:
The two had a competitive fight at UFC 308, with both men having moments. However, in round three, Topuria, who had been finding success with a right cross, detonated a left hook on Holloway's chin, dropping him badly. With no time wasted, Topuria followed up with heavy ground-and-pound until Holloway was out cold.
He had done the impossible, shattering Holloway's chin and booting him from featherweight to lightweight. The heads of two legends are now mounted on his wall. Even Alex Pereira can't claim that.
The verdict on Alex Pereira vs. Ilia Topuria
Ilia Topuria defeated far more credentialed fighters with much stronger legacies than anyone Alex Pereira beat in 2024. He knocked out two of the greatest fighters ever, not just in his division. However, his activity this year was lacking and the Alexander Volkanovski win has an asterisk next to it.
The Australian made the foolish decision to fight Topuria just four months after being knocked out by Islam Makhachev, so he may have been compromised. Meanwhile 'Poatan' fought thrice in short order and stepped in to save UFC cards whenever he was asked to, even while injured.
There are no asterisks with him. Broken toe, two weeks to prepare and all, Pereira was unstoppable in 2024, and undoubtedly Fighter of the Year.