Amid the ongoing debate regarding the end of the year Fighter awards, unbeaten featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has been touted as the likely and deserved candidate for the award by UFC commentator, Daniel Cormier — claiming he should win the award ahead of former two-weight best, Alex Pereira.
Topuria, who headlined UFC 308 over the course of last weekend, turned in a stunning third round win over former champion, Max Holloway — becoming the first fighter in mixed martial arts to stop the symbolic BMF champion with strikes in his entire career.
Turning in his second straight title fight win this annum, Georgian-Spaniard, Ilia Topuria headlined UFC 298 back in February to boot in his premiere title charge in the promotion, ending the lengthy run of Alexander Volkanovski with a stunning knockout win in Anaheim.
As for Pereira, the incumbent light heavyweight champion and former middleweight gold holder has turned in a staggering third defenses of his 205lbs throne this annum alone.
Most recently headlined UFC 307 last month, Sao Paulo favorite, Pereira landed an eventual knockout win over Khalil Rountree — to go with a pair of prior knockouts over former divisional champions, Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill.
Daniel Cormier touts Ilia Topuria as ‘Fighter of the Year’
And whilst the race for the coveted Fighter of the Year award hots up and dwindles to likely candidates, Topuria and Pereira — UFC Hall of Fame star, Cormier is going with the featherweight striker to win the accolade.
“‘The Fighter of the Year’ conversation felt like it was over,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. Like, Alex Pereira was the guy that was the ‘Fighter of the Year’, no questions asked. That’s not the case. I think that these two wins singularly are as good as any two wins anybody can have, no disrespect to Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree. [Topuria] just beat the two best fighters of the generation prior, but they’re still in this generation because they’re both very, very young. He just beat two of the greatest featherweights of all time.”
Ilia Topuria is the Fighter of the Year,” Cormier explained. “He is the Fighter of the Year, and in my opinion, there is no questions to be asked. That result makes it true.”