With simply over two months left in 2024, the ‘Fighter of the 12 months’ debate has begun to warmth up. The record is brief, consisting of two fighters: gentle heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria.
Pereira fought 3 times this 12 months, taking out former champions Jamahal Hill an Jiri Prochazka by knockout and defeated the powerful as nails Khalil Rountree Jr. Topuria fought twice.
Topuria knocked out longtime titleholder Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to seize the 145-pound championship. In his first title protection at UFC 308, he grew to become the primary fighter to knockout former champion Max Holloway. Topuria toppled the division’s legends and most sturdy fighters in back-to-back fights.
Making an allowance for the gravity of what Topuria has been in a position to do that 12 months, former two division champion Daniel Cormier believes “El Matador” needs to be the ‘2024 Fighter of the 12 months.’
“The ‘Fighter of the 12 months’ dialog felt prefer it was over. Alex Pereira was the man that was ‘Fighter of the 12 months,’ no questions requested,” Cormier stated on his YouTube channel. “That is not the case. I feel that these two wins singularly are pretty much as good as any two wins anyone can have.”
“He simply beat the 2 greatest fighters of the era prior, however they’re nonetheless on this era as a result of they’re each very, very younger,” Cormier continued. “He simply beat two of the best featherweights of all time. There’s solely three. He beat two of them in a calendar 12 months.
“Ilia Topuria is the ‘Fighter of the 12 months.’ He’s the ‘Fighter of the 12 months.’ And in my view, there aren’t any inquiries to be requested.”
