2024 offered fans some truly remarkable moments of UFC action; with countless fighters becoming global MMA superstars – albeit some more than others.
'Fighter of the Year' remains one of the most talked about topics in all of MMA, but with 2024 in our rearview mirror, let's be honest: there are only two fighters who actually had a shout to win that award.
Photo by Mitch Viquez/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Kenny Florian calls for Ilia Topuria to become 'Fighter of the Year' in 2024
There's still just over a week to go until the first UFC event of 2025, which means there's plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the Anik and Florian Podcast 2024 awards show.
The former fighter and popular commentator went back and forth over a range of categories during their 100-minute broadcast, but it was their disagreement over 'Fighter of the Year' that stood out the most.
For Kenny Florian, there was only one man who truly deserved to win the award: featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, with 'KenFlo' being the first to recognize the magnitude of El Matador's success over the past year.
“I would be curious if we did a poll on Twitter, what percentage of people would have picked Ilia Topuria to beat both Volkanovski and Holloway in one calendar year; and I'd also like to see what percentage of people would have picked him to finish both boys off in a calendar year.
“You're talking about two of the greats in the sport, let alone just in the featherweight division, and the fact that he was able to do that just shows how great – not good, great – he is.”
Topuria went into the first title fight against Alexander Volkanovski as the slight underdog in the betting, although only 33% of Tapology users chose the Spanish-Georgian sensation over the Australian.
While that number rose to 58% for his showdown with Max Holloway, only a minority of fans predicted 'El Matador' would finish the BMF champion – let alone by a flush KO.
“This is a man whose technique, his ability, his aggression and his intelligence are simply above anyone else in the game right now. I talk about this all the time, about how rare this is. They elevate the sport as a whole and everyone looks at that fighter and says, 'Oh, I must be that good.'
“That's how good Ilia Topuria is and yeah man, I would love to hate that man, he has everything, but I can't. The guy is just head and shoulders above a lot of people right now, and he's my fighter of the year.”
Jon Anik claims that 2024 belongs to one man: Alex 'Poatan' Pereira
Jon Anik has seen his fair share of UFC superstars from the broadcast booth, and while he acknowledged El Matador's insane success, he remained optimistic that 2024 belonged to one man, and one man only.
“For me, 10 to 15 years from now, when I think back to 2024, you know what I'm going to think? I think this is Poatan's year.
“Alex Pereira is my 2024 Male Fighter of the Year and it's wild to think he didn't even compete until April and then saved the day three times… They didn't have a headliner for UFC 307, they needed someone to steps during UFC 303 for International Fight Week, and of course UFC 300 is a given.”
Pereira was recently named as the biggest seller of official UFC merchandise in 2024, above the likes of Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier and Sean O'Malley.
“You can say that Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr may not go down like all-time greats like Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski… But in Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill you are still talking about two former champions… .Dude, it's Poatan's world.”
This debate is likely to continue well into the new year, with the row between Topuria or Pereira having split the Bloody Elbow editorial team in two.
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