The coveted Fighter of the Year award, celebrating the UFC’s most accomplished operator of 2024, will seemingly be contested by Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria.
Both fighters, after all, have steamrolled some of the sport’s most formidable campaigners in a bid to reach astronomical levels of greatness.
For Alex Pereira, the prize was within touching distance following his scintillating stoppages over top contenders Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Ilia Topuria, meanwhile, has catapulted himself into the mix after dethroning MMA legend Alexander Volkanovski several months before his brutal knockout against Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Daniel Cormier explains why Ilia Topuria deserves to be UFC ‘Fighter of the Year’ over Alex Pereira
Both Pereira and Topuria, of course, are widely regarded as two of MMA’s most elite boxers, ending the majority of fights with their striking prowess.
The pair are, in fact, set to see out the year without going the five-round championship distance, making light work of their fierce opposition.
With three strong performances under his belt, though, it could be said that Pereira marginally has the stronger claim to receive Fighter of the Year status.
And yet, while he boasts one less victory than the light heavyweight king, it could also be argued that Topuria is more deserving of the award.
Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier, for instance, believes that, after dispatching two all-time greats in emphatic fashion, the 27-year-old has done enough to get the nod.
“The ‘Fighter of the Year’ conversation felt like it was over. Alex Pereira was the guy that was ‘Fighter of the Year,’ no questions asked,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“That’s not the case [anymore]. I think that these two wins [for Topuria] singularly are as good as any two wins anybody can have.
“[Topuria] just beat two of the greatest featherweights of all time. There’s only three. He beat two of them in a calendar year.”