When it comes to debating the finalists for MMA fighter of the year, 2024 turned out to be as contentious as any final pairing since Jorge Masvidal edged out Israel Adesanya in 2019.
On one side, you had the breakthrough rocket ship of newly crowned UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria and his pair of jaw-dropping knockouts of two former champions and living legends. On the other side, there was Alex Pereira, easily the most valuable fighter to UFC’s roster this calendar year, who routinely saved massive pay-per-view cards by delivering KOs on short notice, including a trio of wins over a span of just six months.
In a subjective debate like this of quality versus quantity, strong arguments can certainly be made for either side. But, in the end, the last 12 months of the sport have produced multiple fantastic years for fighters, all of whom are worthy for consideration to win the sport’s most prestigious award.
Our panel of CBS Sports experts sat down to have their vote for which fighter enjoyed the most memorable year. Let’s take a look at the final results.
Winner: Ilia Topuria 2-0 (KO2 Alexander Volkanovski, KO3 Max Holloway)
In one of the most memorable star turns in modern UFC history, the 27-year-old Topuria went from promising future star to one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet in less than five rounds of competition in 2024.
A man of many nations, Topuria was born in Germany of Georgian descent but now lives in Spain, which just so happens to be a vibrant European market that UFC has been waiting to break into for some time. Topuria, who rubs shoulders with some of the top soccer stars on the globe and has been openly embraced by powerhouse Real Madrid, delivered his end of the bargain in a massive way with a pair of knockouts that announced him as the next breakout star of the sport.
Topuria began the year at UFC 298 in February when, after updating his social media accounts to declare himself as the new 145-pound champion before his fight with Volkanovski even took place, he proved prophetic by brutally finishing the Australian star via second-round KO. Eight months later, at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, Topuria broke open a competitive and exciting clash with BMF champion and former featherweight king Max Holloway by finishing him in Round 3 with a massive left hook to the chin.
Both victories came against legendary fighters who were ranked in the top 10 P4P at the time of Topuria’s knockout finish.
With an all-around game, devastating power and the kind of persona that makes it easy to see him as the face of the sport, Topuria has delivered upon all of the ambitious promises he has made. Now, the only thing left to debate is whether he should stay at featherweight or act upon a recent tease regarding a full-time move up to lightweight.
Honorable mentions
Alex Pereira 3-0 (KO1 Jamal Hill, TKO2 Jiri Prochazka, TKO4 Khalil Rountree Jr.)
Dating back to his final performance of 2023, when Pereira filled in on short notice in the main event of UFC 295 at New York’s Madison Square Garden to finish Jiri Prochazka in their first meeting to claim the vacant light heavyweight title, “Poaton” proved he could be relied upon to save the promotion whenever needed.
That reputation only carried with Pereira into 2024 when he was added late to UFC 300 as a main eventer, only to deliver a first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill. Just two months later, after Conor McGregor pulled out of the International Fight Week headliner at UFC 303 with a broken toe, Pereira overcame his own broken digit to stop Prochazka in their rematch via head kick.
To top off his incredible year, Pereira returned in October at UFC 307 to overcome a slow start by brutally stopping Khalil Rountree Jr. The victory saw Pereira break Ronda Rousey’s UFC record of three title defenses in the shortest span as he needed just 175 days to author such a memorable calendar year.
Add in the fact that Pereira took the Rountree fight despite battling through multiple injuries in training camp and you begin to realize just how much Pereira is built different compared to many of his contemporaries as the 37-year-old continues to write one of the most unique careers UFC has ever seen.
Dricus du Plessis 2-0 (SD5 Sean Strickland, SUB4 Israel Adesanya)
The hard-hitting and physical South African raced his way up the P4P rankings in a memorable 2024 campaign that saw him capture the UFC’s 185-pound title. Du Plessis (22-2) also extended his current win streak to 10 fights while improving to 8-0 overall in the UFC.
Du Plessis began the year at UFC 297 in January by edging out Strickland in a competitive and technical duel over five rounds to win the middleweight championship. Seven months later at UFC 305 in August, “DDP” sent home Australian fans in Perth unhappily when he broke open a close contest against the former two-time champion and heated rival Adesanya by submitting him via face crank in Round 4.
Others receiving votes: Merab Dvalishvili, Alexandre Pantoja, Carlos Prates
