Topuria's Fighter of the Year? Chimaev next for DDP?

Shara Magomedov continues to be one of the most compelling up-and-coming names in the middleweight division after defeating Armen Petrosyan with the first double spinning backfist knockout in UFC history.

Magomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has captivated audiences with his unique look and the fact that he competes with only one eye. He said before the event that Michael Bisping was his inspiration for becoming UFC champion, and if he continues to put in performances like that, he could be well on his way.

The question is how the UFC can use Shara “Bullet” in the future. Will there be commissions in the US willing to grant him a license to fight? If so, it will greatly expand its capabilities. But if he limits himself to performing only in the Middle East or other regions where the UFC self-regulates, then that could diminish his ultimate potential.

Still, this was a great moment for Magomedov. Was it a top-three knockout in company history, as UFC CEO Dana White suggested after the fight? No. But it will be on UFC highlight reels for years to come.

There isn't much more to add than the heading of this section. Following his unanimous decision victory over Aleksandar Rakic, Magomed Ankalaev is now unbeaten in 13 fights at light heavyweight, and while it wasn't the most exciting fight, it wasn't because the Russian was lacking in effort.

It would be an extreme injustice if Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) were passed over for the next fight with Alex Pereira and would be the official end of meritocracy in the UFC. You can argue that time is long gone, but it's the right fight and a really compelling proposition for Pereira.

Hopefully the UFC does the right thing here, and White suggested as much when I asked him about it at the post-fight press conference.

Khamzat Chimaev delivered the best performance of his career as he completely overwhelmed Robert Whittaker via submission in the first round, leaving no doubt about his title contention.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) showed what happens when he takes care of himself and gets in the cage when he handed Whittaker his first submission loss since October 2011. It will be much to the dismay of Sean Strickland, but I think at this point they have to give him the next title shot against champion Dricus Du Plessis.

This fight would just be interesting to watch. How would Chimaev's brute force stack up against the forceful nature of Du Plessis? There's only one way to find out and I really hope the UFC can do it.

Although Strickland had previously been assured of a title rematch with Du Plessis, the MMA community's support for him just doesn't seem to be there at the moment.

Chimaev wants Du Plessis. The made champion has made it clear that he wants Chimaev. And from the UFC’s perspective? Chimaev would likely sell more pay-per-view units at this point, and that will likely sway the next booking in his favor.

I don't know if there's a fighter in MMA that I've attended more fights for than Max Holloway. From his start in the company as a baby-faced 19-year-old, to his title crown against Jose Aldo, his BMF title knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, to this opportunity to reclaim the belt and make history against Ilia Topuria on Saturday, the entire thing I saw adventures up close.

With that in mind, I was as shocked as anyone to see Holloway's iron chin finally broken at the hands of Topuria, who floored the Hawaiian for the first time in his career with punches that resulted in a third-round knockout. It was crazy to witness, but another reminder that nothing is impossible in this crazy game of MMA.

Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) was pure class after his loss, to the surprise of no one. And he admitted this is likely the final chapter of his historic tenure as a featherweight. He still holds the BMF belt (although Topuria claims otherwise) and said he likes the idea of ​​a permanent move to lightweight in the future.

I think this is the right decision for Holloway. He never looks good getting his weight down to 145 pounds, and as he gets older it will only cause him more problems. It would be nice to see him fully embrace the physical transformation in a division, and he has no shortage of fun, exciting and meaningful matchups up there.

Holloway made sure to tell everyone after his loss, “This is not a funeral,” and as sad as it made many people to see him die this way, it's hard not to let his positivity lift their spirits .

There have been a few fights for the Fighter of the Year award over the last decade, but nothing came close to the head-to-head clash between Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira in 2024.

Just a few weeks ago, many people, myself included, were arguing that Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had an ironclad case for the award after completing a record-tying third straight UFC title defense in 175 days TKO of Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 It's been a championship year for “Poatan,” but boy did Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ever make this conversation a challenging one with his great knockout of Holloway.

If there was another outcome for Topuria in a victorious manner, be it a submission, a decision, or more of a disappointing TKO result, then Pereira would undoubtedly be the one. But he got the ideal result when he knocked out Holloway in the third round, capping a season in 2024 in which he became the first to defeat featherweight Alexander Volkanovski, captured the belt at UFC 298 in February and then did what he what Holloway had done in his first defense.

The cowardly way out would be to give them a co-award, but in my opinion there can only be one. The part of my mind that says not to be a prisoner of the moment still thinks Pereira should be, given his unprecedented string of title defenses, all of which came on short notice and ended by knockout. But Topuria's work is also unprecedented, against superior competition.

Fortunately, we have two months to reflect further on this debate, and I think an answer will emerge as we move further away from the immediacy of the results.

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 308 event hub.