How’s this for an “overreaction”? When it comes to who’s the 2024 Male Fighter of the Year, Ilia Topuria’s quality over Alex Pereira’s quantity could not be ignored.
To be sure, both Topuria and Pereira had incredible years. Topuria claimed the featherweight championship with a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski back in February then followed up that win by doing something no fighter had done before: knock out Max Holloway for his first title defense. As for Pereira, he defended his light heavyweight championship three times in less than six months – between April and October – with knockouts of Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree.
For his one-of-a-kind year in which he finished two of the three greatest fighters of his division, Topuria got the nod as MMA Junkie’s 2024 Male Fighter of the Year. Was that the right decision?
MMA Junkie’s Simon Samano and “Gorgeous” George Garcia debated that topic in the latest edition of “Overreaction Time.”
Check out their discussion in the video above, and watch the full episode of “Overreaction Time” below on YouTube.
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Video: The great Ilia Topuria vs. Alex Pereira Male Fighter of the Year debate
