Poatan and Topuria competed for 'Fighter of the Year' (Photo: Montage/SUPER LUTAS)
As we draw to a close, 2024 provided MMA fans with unforgettable moments, including great fights, spectacular events, and memorable knockouts and submissions. But the big question remains: when we look back, will we remember 2024 as the year of Alex Poatan or the year of Ilia Topuria?
The SUPER LUTAS team met to vote on the top fighters of the year. The voting process was as follows: each team member created an individual top 5, knowing that first place would be worth 5 points, second place 4 points, and so on. With all votes tallied, the points were added up to determine the final SUPER LUTAS top 5. Let's get to the list!
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Honorable Mentions
Buckley, Merab and Shara experienced great moments in 2024 (Photo: Montage/SUPER LUTAS)
Before revealing the five best fighters of the year, honorable mentions are due to those who had brilliant years, were remembered by part of our team in the voting, but did not achieve enough points for the top 5.
They are: welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) Joaquin Buckley , winner of four fights in 2024, the most recent against Colby Covington at UFC Tampa , the last event of the year, which took him to sixth place in the category; middleweight (up to 83,9 kg) Shara Magomedov , owner of three wins in the season, which placed the Russian's name in the top 15 of the division; and Georgian Merab Dvalishvili , who started the year by beating former champion Henry Cejudo and months later became bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) by dethroning Sean O'Malley.
5) Diego Lopes (7 points)
Diego Lopes ' meteoric rise in the featherweight division (up to 65,7 kg), which began in 2023, reached its peak, so far, in 2024. The Brazilian, based in Mexico, who started the year outside the category's rankings, ends the season in third place, on the verge of a title shot after consecutive victories over Sody Yusuff at the historic UFC 300 , Dan Ige, and Brian Ortega.
4) Dricus Du Plessis (8 points)
Dricus du Plessis in victory at UFC 297. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/@ufceurope
With only one point difference from Diego Lopes , Dricus Du Plessis is fourth on our list. The South African won the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg) at UFC 297 , the first numbered event of the year, in a 'war' against then-champion Sean Strickland, and defended the title by submitting former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
3) Alexandre Pantoja (20 points)
Alexandre Pantoja receives the championship belt after UFC 301. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Brazil opens the podium in the SUPER LUTAS voting . Flyweight champion (up to 56,7 kg), Alexandre Pantoja has established himself as one of the greatest in the history of the category by defending the belt twice this year. The first, in a battle against Steve Erceg in Rio de Janeiro, and the second, in a dominant performance against Kai Asakura at UFC 310 , the last numbered event of 2024.
2) Ilia Topuria (27 points)
Ilia Topuria 's feats would have been enough for the Georgian-Spanish fighter to be elected the best fighter of almost any year in history, but in 2024, Alex Poatan stood in his way. 'El Matador' dethroned Alexander Volkanovski with a brutal knockout at the beginning of the year and, in the final stretch, repeated the feat against former champion Max Holloway , who had never been knocked out in his career.
1) Alex Poatan (35 points)
Alex Poatan is the UFC champion. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFCEspanol
Alex Poatan was unanimously included on the lists of all SUPER LUTAS members . After winning the light heavyweight title (up to 93 kg) at the end of 2023, the Brazilian racked up knockouts against Jamahal Hill , Jiri Prochazka , and Khalil Rountree Jr., breaking the record for the shortest interval between three title defenses and further increasing his legacy and his legion of fans.
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