In 2024, there maybe wasn’t a better two-fight combination you could make in any division within the sport than facing Alexander Volkanovski and then Max Holloway.
Between the two fighters is 2,451 days of UFC Featherweight Championship history. Holloway carried the division through the mid-to-late 2010s, showing his incredible toughness and crisp boxing skills through wins over legends like Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo. Volkanovski then picked up where the Hawaiian fan-favorite left off, dethroning him in late 2019 and going on a run of retaining his title a whopping five times.
Neither fighter was at their peak by the start of 2024. Volkanovski was coming off a pair of losses at lightweight, and Holloway, while still easily one of the most dominant fighters in the division, was years removed from his time at the top. But both were still significant players in the title picture, a threat to anyone at the 145-pound limit. Beating one in the year would either make you the best featherweight or at the very least guarantee you a shot at the gold. Overcoming both would make you one of the greatest fighters of the year in any weight class.
Few fighters are afforded the chance to face two of a division’s historically most successful champions in the same year. And among those in MMA’s history who have found themselves in such a position, even less prevailed in both appearances via dominant fashion.
In a year that saw spectacular performances in the sport – like Alex Pereira keeping a stranglehold on the light heavyweight division with impeccable activity, or Dricus Du Plessis taking out a pair of former champs himself to arrive at the middleweight title scene – nobody came close to the accomplishments that Ilia Topuria achieved. Because of this, he has been selected as the 2024 Knockdown News Fighter of the Year.
Topuria entered 2024 as a promising talent. He had disposed of lower-ranked fighters in impressive fashion, submitting grappling ace Bryce Mitchell and earning a nasty 2022 knockout over Jai Herbert, for example. In the fight that launched him into title bout discussions, Topuria dominated Josh Emmett for five rounds in 2023, beating a highly respected contender in the division.
Topuria had tons of potential, but nobody knew how he would do against the best of the best at featherweight. That’s why the odds were understandably close in his UFC 298 bout against Volkanovski.
Topuria had never been in a UFC title fight, and he hadn’t ever met anyone nearly as good as Volkanovski. But when watching their February clash, it’s not like you could tell. The Spanish-Georgian fighter was the aggressor from the start, comfortably advancing on the champ. He didn’t look fazed by the shots that Volkanovski landed, no matter how clean or hard they scored. Topuria looked like he had been there before, even if he hadn’t actually been there before.
Then, in the second round of the fight, the power of Topuria’s punches put Volkanovski away for the first time ever at featherweight. A right hook as part of a flurry from Topuria floored the Australian talent, turning the challenger into a champion.
Early in the year, Topuria arrived in the division with the biggest win possible. But another big challenge would be right around the corner: Holloway, a fighter who hadn’t suffered a non-Volkanovski loss at featherweight since 2013, was ready for another shot at the belt. With his long-time rival out of the title picture and the momentum of a devastating knockout against Justin Gaethje from UFC 300 on his side, Holloway was a clear next pick for a featherweight shot.
Topuria did the same thing to Holloway, beating an all-time great in a way that had never been seen before. With no fear for his opponent’s vast experience as a dangerous and damaging striker, he pushed forward and trusted his own power and skill. The gutsy move, which caused many past Holloway opponents to end the fight flat on their backs, earned Topuria a third-round knockout.
The boxing of Topuria, landing with a clean left hook in the third round, made him the first fighter to ever, yes ever, stop Holloway with strikes in his 30-fight UFC career.
It’s not just the fact that Topuria beat Volkanovski and Holloway in the same year which made him the best fighter of the year, although those victories would at the very least snag him a nomination. It’s the fact that he did so in the most emphatic way possible and that he met both fighters while still near the height of their careers.
It is true that basically nobody else in the UFC was given a tougher and more notable combo of fights in 2024, calling back to how Fighter of the Year is in part determined by circumstances and opportunities. But there is no luck about how Topuria turned such chances into a massive showcase of his skills.
Heading into 2025, Topuria is one of the sport’s biggest stars. With over 6 million Instagram followers, he has the third-biggest fanbase among active UFC champions (trailing behind Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev). He is supported strongly by both Spain and Georgia, the two countries he proudly represents. Those who don’t rally behind him for his country affiliations will find an easy reason to become a fan due to his entertaining style, which has brought out many highlight-reel performances throughout the years.
With a larger following than ever before, Topuria walks into a 2025 that will give him no shortage of massive opportunities. In his home weight class of featherweight, contenders like Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev are prime for a shot at the belt. And if he decided to do a move up to lightweight, which he has hinted at recently, a super-fight is ready to be made with another champ.
2024 Fighter of the Year notes and observations
In a testament to how the country of Brazil remains such a dominant force in MMA, Topuria is the first person not from the country to win Fighter of the Year.
Alex Pereira received his third consecutive Fighter of the Year nomination this year, more than any other talent has earned since we started handing out the award in 2020.
2024 is the second time that a PFL fighter has received a nomination. The previous nominee went to lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco in 2022.
For the second year in a row, zero nominees or honorable mentions went to ONE Championship, highlighting how Muay Thai and kickboxing remain the brand’s top focus.
Previous Winners: Alexandre Pantoja (2023), Alex Pereira (2022), Charles Oliveira (2021), Deiveson Figueiredo (2020)
Previous Nominees
2024: Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), Dricus Du Plessis (22-2), Alex Pereira (12-2), Ilia Topuria (16-0)
2023: Alexandre Pantoja (27-5), Alex Pereira (9-2), Leon Edwards (22-3), Islam Makhachev (25-1)
2022: Seika Izawa (8-0), Larissa Pacheco (19-4), Alex Pereira (7-1), Aljamain Sterling (22-3), Alexander Volkanovski (25-1)
2021: Ciryl Gane (10-0), Brandon Moreno (19-5-2), Charles Oliveira, (32-8), Kamaru Usman (20-1)
2020: Israel Adesanya (20-0), Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1), Kevin Holland (21-5), Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0)
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