Max Holloway thinks Alex Pereira has ‘already earned’ the 2024 Fighter of the Year award
“I don’t know if I can do it. [win fighter of the year]. The way Alex fought, he was the fastest man to win three title defenses.
A tough guy to beat…I think Alex Pereira won… pic.twitter.com/PHEXHCxlz7
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
October 18, 2024
Despite having a title shot, Max Holloway believes Alex Pereira has already beaten him in the race for UFC Fighter of the Year.
Holloway was removed from the featherweight title in 2023 despite defeating Arnold Allen and Chan Sung-jong. However, the former featherweight champion suddenly changed course when he won the iconic BMF title over Justin Gaethje in the lightweight division at UFC 300 in April of this year. Holloway is scheduled to challenge Ilya Topria for the featherweight title at UFC 308 on October 26th at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
If he upsets “El Matador,” Holloway will likely earn UFC FOTY status. But Holloway believes light heavyweight champion Pereira has already surpassed him in the race, regardless of the outcome of his bout with Topuria.
UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway takes place Saturday at 2pm ET on ESPN+. Order now!
“I mean, I don’t know, dude. I don’t know if I would do something like that,” Holloway recently told Kevin Iall. “The way Alex fights. I mean, he’s the fastest guy to defend the title three times. That’s a tough guy to beat. I mean, every time I go into that negotiation, somebody’s having a hell of a year. So I think Alex Pereira has already won.”
Pereira won the title by knockout of Jiri Prochaska at UFC 295 in November 2023. Since then, he has defended his title three times within 175 days this year. On the other hand, “Blessed” is on a three-fight winning streak, including two finishes. Topria will be defending his title for the first time following his knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February of this year.
