John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Virtually no one saw his reign on the horizon, which made Ilia Topuria’s unexpected rise to power in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division all the more enthralling.
Topuria—who edged Alex -Pereira-224511">Alex Pereira for Sherdog “Fighter of the Year” honors—made two extraordinary appearances in 2024, as he punched out Alexander Volkanovski to become the fifth undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history, then retained the title by smashing through the great Max Holloway in a little more than three rounds.