Who is the best fighter in MMA right now? Everybody has their own separate opinion. MMA media seem to favor Islam Makahchev. Interestingly, Dana White vehemently believes Jon Jones is the guy. For fight fans, it is Alex Pereira. Joe Rogan recently pointed his finger at Sean O’Malley as the best. Surprisingly, the 2024 ESPY Award seems to favor the UFC color commentator.
The ESPY Award winners are selected exclusively through global online fan balloting from candidates chosen by the ESPY Select Nominating Committee. Sean O’Malley seems to be an international superstar, winning the Best MMA Fighter ESPY Award over Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili, and Islam Makhachev.
Pereira fought thrice from July 2023 to July 2024, and the other nominees fought twice. Having secured KO/TKO victories in UFC 295, UFC 300, and UFC 303, the Brazilian seemed to be the easy pick for the Best MMA Fighter ESPY Award. However, the voters went with Sean O’Malley, who knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 and defeated Marlon Vera at UFC 299.
Interestingly, Chael Sonnen picked O’Malley as the best fighter in the Good Guy / Bad Guy 2024 Mid-Year Awards. Daniel Cormier, his co-host, picked Alex Pereira over the bantamweight UFC champion.
The Other Nominees at the Best MMA Fighter ESPY Award
Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley dominated their opposition in the last 12 months. Therefore, they were above the other two nominees, Islam Makhachev and Zhang Weili, at the ESPY Award. However, they were not far behind in terms of performance.
Zhang Weili fought Amanda Lemos at UFC 292, winning via unanimous decision. She followed it up with a hard-fought victory over compatriot Yan Xioanan at UFC 300. As for Islam Makhachev, the Russian knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 and submitted Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
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