In the lead-up to their main event matchup at the Etihad Arena on Saturday night, Topuria predicted that he would be the first man to knock out Holloway, who hadn’t even been dropped previously in his UFC career. And, in the third round of their championship clash, he backed up that prediction with a huge knockout to cement his status as the top featherweight fighter on the planet.
Topuria and Holloway stood and traded through the first two rounds, but Topuria gave a glimpse of his wrestling chops as he easily managed to take Holloway to the canvas mid-way through the opening round. Holloway managed to work his way back to the feet, before the action resumed in the stand-up realm.
And, while Holloway appeared to have control of the range and was getting into his striking groove, Topuria was getting his reads and starting to find a home for his own shots, too. And in the second minute of the third round, Topuria found his target.
A huge shot badly rocked Holloway backwards and Topuria swarmed the Hawaiian and unleashed a vicious combination of strikes as he attempted to stop the former champ against the fence. Remarkably, Holloway was able to survive the onslaught and managed to circle off the cage. But Topuria wouldn’t let the American off the hook, and he quickly moved his feet to get back into position and unloaded another barrage of shots, with a huge left hook sending Holloway crashing to the canvas.
He did EXACTLY what he said he’d do 🤯@TopuriaIlia just knocked out Max Holloway at #UFC308!
[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/hbQjS5qplS
— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024
It was a huge knockout that proved to the world that Topuria’s jaw-dropping title-winning knockout of Alexander Volkanovski was no fluke, as he added the name of the featherweight division’s other all-time great to his resume with another stellar performance.
And it seems that a reunion with Volkanovski could be next for Topuria, with the Australian former champ getting into the cage to congratulate Topuria on his victory, and call for a title rematch next year. Topuria showed respect to the former champion, and said that after Volkanovski’s string of title defences earlier in his reign, he deserved a rematch for the belt once again.
But for now, all the focus is deservedly on Topuria, who completed an incredible year by knocking out both Volkanovski and Holloway to win, then retain the 145-pound title.
Chimaev runs through Whittaker, calls for title shot
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev returned to action and dominated Robert Whittaker to catapult himself into championship contention at 185 pounds.
Many viewed in-form former champion Whittaker as the acid test of Chimaev’s ability to compete with the middleweight elite, but Chimaev didn’t give the Aussie a moment to consider his first move as he came charging out of the corner and quickly secured an early takedown.
With the fight on the mat, Chimaev worked hard against a dogged Whittaker to eventually get to the former champ’s back. And, after a prolonged period of hand-fighting and probing for openings, Chimaev eventually managed to lock up a face crank that brought a very fast tap from Whittaker, who later suggested the crank had dislocated his jaw.
It meant that Chimaev had another first-round finish on his undefeated record, and in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, he bemoaned a lack of willing opponents in the UFC before calling for a shot at the middleweight title currently held by South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis.
Ankalaev pushes the pace to edge Rakic and push his title claims
Russian light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev entered the Octagon at UFC 308 as the division’s number-one contender, and he ensured that he maintained that status with a gritty unanimous decision victory over Austrian contender Aleksandar Rakic before calling out the reigning 205-pound champion Alex Pereira.
Ankalaev pushed the pace for the full 15 minutes in a tricky, tactical tussle with Rakic that, based on the stats line, actually saw him outstruck by his opponent. But the constant forward pressure and dominance of the clinch when they did lock up, along with perhaps the more eye-catching strikes of the bout, ensured he did enough to earn scores of 29-28 on all three scorecards.
After his victory, Ankalaev said there was no other move other than to face Pereira for the title next. And, with a little help from his translator, he looked down the camera and challenged the champion in English, saying, “Alex, stop running away from me.”
Murphy stays undefeated with come-from-behind win over Ige
English featherweight contender Lerone Murphy continued his rise up the UFC’s 145-pound division with a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over perennial contender Dan Ige.
Murphy had to get up off the canvas to get the win after Ige punished the Manchester man for over-extending on a punch with a perfectly-timed counter left hook that sent him to the mat. But Murphy rallied well and survived the round before turning the tables on Ige in Rounds 2 and 3.
The second round saw Murphy produce a superb display of distance management as he kept Ige on the outside while scoring consistently with shots of his own. And in the third round, with both corners imploring their charges to push for the win, it was Murphy who landed the more effective strikes as they cancelled each other out with their clinchwork and grappling.
The three judges all saw it the same, with Murphy taking the win with scores of 29-28 across the board to take his undefeated record to 15-0-1.
Magomedov claims highlight-reel finish
The main card opened with a stunning knockout as Russia’s Shara “Bullet” Magomedov delivered a spectacular double spinning backfist KO to stop Armen Petrosyan in their middleweight matchup.
The pair went to war from the opening bell as they exchanged shots in a lively opening round. And, as the action continued along similar lines in the second round, Magomedov unleashed back-to-back spinning backfists, both of which landed, to knock out Petrosyan and deliver a highlight-reel moment at the start of the pay-per-view.
UFC 308: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 1:34 for undisputed featherweight title
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) – Round 1, 3:34
- Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via knockout (double spinning backfist) – Round 2, 4:52
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:51
- Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 1:30
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktbek Orolbai via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:14
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 4:27
- Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28. 29-28, 30-27)
