Athletes
The Fighters | 2024 Half-Year Awards
Take A Look At Which Fighters Shined The Brightest In The First Half Of 2024
The highly unofficial half-year awards season concludes with our picks for the best fighters of the first half of 2024...
5 – Max Holloway
It’s hard to believe that before his 2018 bout with Brian Ortega, there were those questioning whether the wars had caught up to Max Holloway. Well, he’s gone 7-4 since then, delivering some of his best performances against Ortega, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, Chan Sung Jung, and…in April of this year…Justin Gaethje. And yes, the knockout in the BMF title fight was epic, but Holloway’s performance up to the finish should also be talked about, because “Blessed” looked better than ever.
2024 HALF-YEAR AWARDS: Knockouts | Submissions | Newcomers
Max Holloway Knocks Out Justin Gaethje, Wins BMF Belt | UFC 300
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Max Holloway Knocks Out Justin Gaethje, Wins BMF Belt | UFC 300
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4 – Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev is approaching his second year atop the lightweight throne, and he looks like he’s just getting started on his reign. Currently riding a 14-fight winning streak, Makhachev’s lone trip to the Octagon thus far in 2024 was another stellar effort, as he submitted Dustin Poirier in the fifth round, earning Fight and Performance of the Night honors.
3 – Robert Whittaker
Nearly 12 years into his UFC career, Robert Whittaker should have been slowing down. But instead, “The Reaper” looks as good as he ever has, with 2024 producing a Fight of the Year candidate win over Paulo Costa and a blistering finish of Ikram Aliskerov. And while he’s 0-3 against the two men fighting for the middleweight title later this year – Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya – the Aussie star has earned another crack at regaining his crown.
2 – Ilia Topuria
Getting on this list with one fight in the first six months of the year is a difficult task for most, but then again, most fighters aren’t Ilia Topuria, who annexed the featherweight crown in February with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski. Already a top-level talent, as evidenced by his perfect pro record, Topuria raised the bar when he needed it most, stopping one of the most dominant champions in 145-pound history in dominant fashion. Now the division has a new king.
1 – Alex Pereira
It’s unanimous. While light heavyweight king Alex Pereira had a strong case for this spot after his first-round finish of former champion Jamahal Hill in April, “Poatan” clinched it when he scored a highlight reel knockout of Jiri Prochazka last weekend in the main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas. Unflappable in the spotlight and increasingly untouchable on fight night, Pereira is one of the most intriguing figures in the sport, and if heavyweight is in his future, we’re all here for it.
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