UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway Main Event & Undercard Tips
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway headline a mouthwatering card as UFC 308 heads to Abu Dhabi.
Undefeated Spaniard Topuria makes the first defence of his Featherweight title after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year.
The return of Khamzat Chimaev also features in the co-main event in what looks like a certain Middleweight title eliminator with former champion Robert Whittaker.
Tip 1 - Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway - To go the distance - 29/20
This one has all the elements to become an instant classic
New champion Ilia Topuria's boundless confidence was rubber stamped when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round at UFC 298 in February.
The Spanish fighter had predicted his speedy ascent to the Featherweight throne, taking gold in just his seventh UFC fight.
The 27-year-old is 15-0 as a pro and has passed every test so far with flying colours, including when earning a title shot with a five-round domination of Josh Emmett last June.
Topuria's grappling pedigree is matched by intelligent boxing and a freakish power that had seen him achieve four knockouts and one submission inside the octagon.
Max Holloway is a former Featherweight champion and the UFC's current BMF belt holder, winning the title at UFC 300 in April.
That final-second knockout of Justin Geathje will go down in UFC history, with Holloway pointing to the ground in the last 10 seconds for a shootout in a fight he was clearly winning.
The 32-year-old made four defences of the 145lb strap, unifying the belt against Jose Aldo in 2017.
That was part of a six-year undefeated streak that was ended by a first step up to Lightweight in 2019 against Dustin Poirier, before losing a trilogy with Alexander Volkanovski in his native division.
Holloway has more than bounced back since and reclaiming the Featherweight title against someone of Topuria's stature would signify a remarkable comeback story.
Equally for Topuria, a dominant or devastating win over Holloway would be huge for his growing stature in the sport.
This one could be one for the ages with both men still standing at the final bell.
Tip 2 - Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev - over 2.5 rounds - Evens
Robert Whittaker has been a mainstay at the top of the Middleweight division for many years.
A former champion at 185lb, the Australian has only lost three times in the last 10 years. Two of those defeats came against Israel Adesanya with the other a title eliminator against now champion Dricus Du Plessis last June.
Whittaker has won 15 fights in that period, including two wars with Yoel Romero, which earned his championship back in 2018.
The 33-year-old has two wins so far in 2024, coming in a points win against Paulo Costa in February and a first-round knockout of Ikram Aliskerov in June.
The latter was Khamzat Chimaev’s stand-in after their original fight fell through in June due to the Chechnyan’s late withdrawal due to illness.
The pull-out was the latest issue relating to his health that Chimaev has faced in recent times, which has hampered his activity.
The 30-year-old only fought once in 2023 when coming out on top in a majority decision against a late notice opponent in former Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who had moved to Middleweight to take the fight.
Still unbeaten at 7-0, Chimaev has made changes to his team in order to try and regain some of the momentum that saw him burst on the scene during the UFC’s fight Island run in 2020.
When on song, Chimaev is a ferocious MMA wrestler which has seen him get two KO/TKO’s and three submissions so far inside the octagon.
This is Whittaker’s ninth five-round booking in the UFC and while Chimaev went 25 minutes against Gilbert Burns in 2022 there are undoubtedly cardio issues that need to be addressed.
Whittaker will have to use his vast experience to get through the expected early onslaught but brings a strong wrestling pedigree and an 84% takedown defence, which could well take this into the second half of the fight.
Tip 3 - Sharabutdin Magomedov to Win & Over 1.5 Rounds - 10/11
Shara Magomedov makes his fourth Octagon appearance this weekend as he looks to put on another show.
The 30-year-old has an attractive kickboxing style with a high striking output which has seen him take bonuses from two of his wins so far.
Magomedov was last seen in August winning a unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Night” against Michał Oleksiejczuk.
“Shara Bullet” also earned a performance bonus in June for his third-round stoppage of late-notice opponent Antonio Trócoli in Saudi Arabia.
Armen Petrosyan brings a similar high volume, kickboxing style to the table.
The 33-year-old is 3-2 in the UFC and was last seen in February suffering a first-round submission defeat to Rodolfo Vieira.
Petrosyan does have some good wins though, against Christian Leroy Duncan, AJ Dobson and Gregory Rodrigues, all coming over the full 15-minute distance.
Magomedov has a 66% striking accuracy and with this one set to take place on the feet, he could well win the striking battle here.