A new year is here, and that means it’s time for Combat Press to take a look back at the best of MMA in 2024. In the coming days, Combat Press will announce its award winners in multiple categories, covering everything from the action in the cage to the biggest stories surrounding the sport.
There are many qualities that can make a fight special and memorable. Knockouts are spectacular, submissions are awe inspiring, but there is something uniquely satisfying about watching two athletes go toe-to-toe for the entirety of a fight and wind up totally and completely exhausted as the final bell sounds denoting the completion of the contest. To be a Fight of the Year, it has to be one where neither fighter’s stock drops, they leave with an inordinate amount of respect for one another, and fans give them a standing ovation. There were several fights in 2024 that met the requirements but one stands above the rest of them.
At UFC 305, two lightweight stalwarts went back and forth over three rounds and each shone brightly in many moments of the contest. It ended in a split decision and both men could have gotten his hand raised. Dan Hooker defeated Mateusz Gamrot after a thrilling contest that undoubtedly keeps fans on their feet as they watch it for a second and third time.
In the end, it would be the takedown defense of Hooker that would allow him to do enough damage to earn the victory on two of the scorecards. Gamrot would land the first severely damaging shot, using a thudding right hand to set up a takedown where he would then unleash a copious amount of ground and pound. Somehow, Hooker was able to get upright and then would return fire and uncorked a left hook that badly hurt Gamrot before the bell sounded to end the round. Gamrot would implement a takedown heavy approach and scored ground strikes that would have ended a fight against a lesser opponent. Hooker was somehow able to get up once again and would thwart additional takedown attempts.
In the third round it was Gamrot who would absorb the most damage, as Hooker continued to stop takedown attempts and deliver power punch after power punch, eating a fair number in return. By the time the final round ended, it looked as if both men had been put through a wood chipper and without question left a big chunk of themselves in the Octagon that night. It may have been Hooker who got the official win in the record books, but the true victors were the fans who were lucky enough to see such a contest.
For the grit, talent, technique, and toughness displayed from start to finish, Dan Hooker vs. Mateusz Gamrot wins the 2024 Combat Press MMA Award for Fight of the Year.