Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will clash in the UFC 308 main event Saturday. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
MMA Fighting has UFC 308 results of the Topuria vs. Holloway fight card, live blogs for the entire main card, and more from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday afternoon.
In the main event, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will make his first title defense against former UFC champion Max Holloway. Topuria (15-0) has never tasted defeat in his pro career, while Holloway (26-7) has won four of his past five fights.
Khamzat Chimaev makes his long-awaited return against former UFC champion Robert Whittaker in the co-main event.
Victor Hugo defeated Pedro Falcao at the UFC APEX back in April | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Victor Hugo grew up watching his father Marcio compete in full-contact fights and began training martial arts at 5 years of age, but quickly dropped jiu-jitsu to focus solely on striking practice. Two decades later, he’s now a UFC fighter looking for his first knockout inside the octagon.
Nicknamed “Striker” for his love of stand-up fighting, Hugo enters the UFC 308 cage to face undefeated Farid Basharat this Saturday in Abu Dhabi and wants to add the 9th knockout to his MMA record. Hugo won his UFC debut with a decision over Pedro Falcao, six months after tapping out Eduardo Torres on Dana White’s Contender Series.
“I’m by far the best fighter he’s ever faced,” Hugo said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “He fought (Taylor Lapilus), a kickboxing champion with no ground game or takedown defense. If we’re talking striking, my nickname says it all. And I don’t even need to talk about my takedown defense. And I’m a black belt on the ground, brother. He’s never fought a black belt before.”
“This is a test for him, not for me,” he continued. “It’s a good fight for me. He has good striking, he’s fast, and he has good cardio, but my takedown defense is ridiculous. He won’t take me down like he has against other opponents. … He’s good, but he’s not a fantastic striker. His kicks are fast but that’s it. He’s never finished anyone, and I’ve knocked out a shitload of people, so there’s a good chance I knock him out as well.”
Hugo said “it’s always been my dream to fight vale tudo since I was a kid” after watching old tapes of Royce Gracie winning the first UFC events and Mirko Cro Cop dropping people left and right inside the PRIDE ring, and it’s special to now find himself standing on the same cage that has once welcomed such legends.
“I was such a big fan of Cro Cop,” Hugo said. “We had no access to information like we have today, so I used to go to [n internet cafe] and burn CDs and DVDs of his fights so I could watch it over and over and over again at home.”
Though Hugo claimed otherwise, Basharat does have stoppage wins on his record, with one knockout and six submissions across a dozen of professional MMA appearances, but the Brazilian isn’t amazed. A pro fighter since 2011, Hugo says “my calm makes others desperate.”
“All that time has gotten me ready for this,” Hugo said. “I see fighting as math. Many people are emotional, but I’m different. He has this single leg takedown? I’ll defend it 50 times in the gym. What are his flaw? Body shots? Ok, I’ll work a lot on my attacks to the body. When you’re calm and collected up there you can see everything your opponent is doing, and that makes them desperate.”
No matter what happens with Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, these former champions are proof you can’t keep a good fighter down.
First, let’s talk about Holloway, the current “BMF” champion and former featherweight champion looking to regain the latter title when he takes on the undefeated Ilia Topuria in Saturday’s main event in Abu Dhabi. Holloway had a brilliant run as champion from 2017 to 2019 before running into rival Alexander Volkanovski, a fellow future Hall of Famer that just so happens to be his perfect foil. Holloway’s inability to get one over on Volkanovski seemed to signal the end of his run as 145’s top dog, but he just kept winning tough fights, putting on spectacular performances, and creating viral moments to the point that he forced his way back into the title conversation.
Now we’ll see if Holloway can cap off one of the most feel-good stories we’ve ever seen.
The stakes aren’t quite as high for Whittaker in the co-main event, but he faces a similar challenge as he takes on a gifted opponent who has never tasted defeat. Whittaker faced his own version of Volkanovski in the form of then-champion Israel Adesanya and future champion Dricus du Plessis, two opponents that relegated Whittaker to contender status. But like Holloway, he’s crawled his way back into spitting distance of a title, and an upset of Chimaev will have fans blowing up Dana White’s socials to give “The Reaper” his due.
Everyone should appreciate what Holloway and Whittaker are attempting to achieve here, because no one would have blamed them if they gave up on their championship dreams when they were at their lowest.
In other main card action, No. 1 light heavyweight contender looks to become, uh, even more the No. 1 contender (?) when he fights Aleksandar Rakic, Lerone Murphy meets Dan Ige in a bout with sneaky featherweight title implications, and the popular Shara Bullet opens the main card against Armen Petrosyan.
What: UFC 308
Where: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday, Oct. 26. The eight-fight preliminary card begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the five-fight main card at 2 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)
Ilia Topuria (1, P4P-4) vs. Max Holloway (3, P4P-T9)
Whether you’re rooting for Max Holloway or not, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can beat Ilia Topuria besides good vibes.
Yes, Topuria beat Alexander Volkanovski and Volkanovski beat Holloway three times, but put aside the MMA math and you’ll see this is a classic case of styles making fights. The “finish fast” mind set Topuria employed against Volkanovski won’t serve him as well against the titanium-chinned Holloway. If Topuria goes too hard in the opening rounds, he could find himself swimming upstream in the championship frames.
It’s on Holloway to make him work though. Holloway’s mixture of high volume and precision will give Topuria headaches, but Topuria’s technical skills are so sharp, he could catch Holloway with some of the same shots that felled Volkanovski. I don’t expect Holloway to go down and stay down, but could Topuria become just the second fighter to knock him down? I see it.
I’m looking past all of the weird side quests Topuria seems determined to talk about and trusting him to be at his best on fight night, because when he’s on, he’s legitimately one of the five best fighters in the world. Topuria can make a huge statement with a convincing win over Holloway and while I don’t expect him to dominate from bell-to-bell, he should come out with a controversy-free decision victory.
Pick: Topuria
Robert Whittaker (4) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (12)
Look, I can’t tell you for sure I didn’t write all those nice things about Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway to soften the blow of me picking against them both. But I’m picking against then both.
Dricus du Plessis wrote the blueprint for bullying Whittaker and as much as Whittaker learned from that loss, I don’t think he he has an answer for the sheer physicality of Khamzat Chimaev. I’ve never hopped off the Chimaev bandwagon, confident in my belief he can beat anyone as long as he makes it to the cage.
As I write this, there’s still plenty of time for Saturday’s co-main event to fall through, but assuming Chimaev makes the walk, I expect his unreal combination of strength, speed, wrestling ability, and raw power to be on full display. We’ll know early if Whittaker is poised to play the spoiler if he can stuff a few Chimaev takedowns and avoid early flurries on the feet. Don’t forget, this is a five-round fight, and if Whittaker takes it past Round 3, Chimaev’s chances of winning decrease exponentially with every passing minute.
So this is a leap of faith of sorts as I’m going with Chimaev to keep his act together and finish Whittaker in the first or second round.
Pick: Chimaev
Magomed Ankalaev (3) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (7)
This is just the ultimate banana peel for Magomed Ankalaev.
Unbeaten in 12 straight fights, Ankalaev is somehow at risk of potentially losing out on what should have been a surefire crack at the light heavyweight title to Aleksandar Rakic, despite Rakic coming off of two straight losses separated by a two-year injury layoff. MMA.
Rakic is a threat, too! He looked sharp in his comeback fight before getting Prochazka’d and if he sticks to the game plan of leg kicks and counter combos, it could be a serious problem for Ankalaev. When Ankalaev fought to a draw with Jan Blachowicz, much of his struggles came as a result of Blachowicz chipping away at his leg for the first three rounds. Then Ankalaev went to his wrestling to turn the fight on its head.
Should he consider focusing on his wrestling to stifle Rakic’s offense? It couldn’t hurt, though the rangy Rakic has shown good takedown defense when he’s had to use it. With only three rounds to work—and more importantly, to impress Dana White—Ankalaev might have to throw caution to the wind and stick to a standup duel.
That won’t be a problem for Ankalaev, a great striker that has strangely been labeled as an unappealing challenger for Pereira despite half of his UFC wins coming by way of knockout. He’ll mix the martial arts to break Rakic’s rhythm if it comes to it, but when it’s time to finish, Ankalaev will let loose with his limbs and take Rakic out.
Pick: Ankalaev
Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige (15)
After several years where he struggled to string together fights, Lerone Murphy is finally in the swing of things and now it’s just a matter of making that brutal climb up the featherweight ladder. Dan Ige is the next logical step, a veteran that has gone the distance with the best of them even if he’s fallen short of proving he’s a top-10 fighter himself.
Murphy showed off an incredible pressure game in his recent win over Edson Barboza, but don’t expect Ige to wilt against the same tactics. “50K” is always in great shape and a hard 15 minutes won’t trouble him in the slightest. I’m guessing we see Murphy mixing up his tactics more, stinging Ige on the feet when he finds an opening and taking him down if the standup exchanges get too hot.
Overall though, I like Murphy to edge out a close striking battle, doing just enough to beat Ige to the punch and prevent him from getting his own offense going. It won’t be easy, but Murphy’s undefeated streak continues.
Pick: Murphy
Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
Don’t ask me why, I’m expecting so much weirdness in this matchup.
“Shara Bullet” should win this based on his finishing ability and unpredictable movement, but they haven’t given him a layup in Armen Petrosyan. The Russian-Armenian kickboxer specializes in drawn-out, methodical standup fights, which could lead to frustration for Magomedov (and those of us watching at home). Neither fighter has shown an inclination to push the pace, so look forward to long stretches of halfhearted flicks and feints as they work to goad the other man into a mistake.
That said, I can’t shake the thought that this fight will be filled with odd fouls, a restless crowd calling for more action, and maybe even a scoring controversy if we’re lucky. Magomedov brings a huge following with him whenever he steps into the octagon and there’s star potential there, but I remain unconvinced he can impose his will on a fight. Happy to be proven wrong.
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC 308 is finally here!
This Saturday, Ilia Topuria puts his featherweight title on the line against Max Holloway in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year. On top of that, the co-main event features a big-time middleweight matchup with former champion Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in what may well determine the next middleweight title challenger. With all that, plus 11 more fights on the docket, let’s dive into the best bets this week.
All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Single Plays
Ilia Topuria by Points (+280)
I have a full written break down of the main event out on MMAFighting.com so check that out for a deeper dive, but to me this fight boils down to Topuria has a stylistic advantage, alongside being younger, more physical, and an ascending talent. Holloway certainly has tools to win, but I favor Topuria to get the job done. That being said, Holloway may actually be impossible to finish at this point in his career, and the value between this bet and Topuria straight at -260 is substantial.
Topuria vs. Holloway Over 3.5 Rounds (-126)
Basically the exact same reason as the above bet: I expect this fight will go long. Holloway has been finished once in his entire career, back in his 5th professional fight when he was 20 years old. Topuria, obviously, has never been finished since he’s never lost. More to the point though, even in wins, Holloway has a tendency to go long. Nine of Holloway’s past 10 fights have gone into the fifth round or to a decision. This looks like good value to me.
Khamzat Chimaev by KO/TKO or Submission (-165)
At this point in his career, the question for Chimaev is not “will he win the fight?” it’s “will he show up?” Every time Chimaev steps in the cage, he gets his hand raised, lately it’s been a matter of getting to the cage. But thus far, it appears Chimaev will make the walk on Saturday, which means Whittaker is in trouble.
Robert Whittaker is a future Hall of Famer, but this is a tough fight for him. Chimaev has shown the ability to rag-doll everyone he’s faced, and given the way Dricus du Plessis big-brothered Whittaker, it seems likely that Chimaev will be able to do the same. Simply put, Whittaker is a great fighter, but Chimaev is better and should cement his title shot on Saturday.
Lerone Murphy by Points (-135)
This is Dan Ige’s first fight since heroically stepping in at UFC 303 on four hours’ notice and I’ll be honest, it’s a puzzler. I thought Ige’s willingness to be a company man would’ve earned him a better opportunity but instead he gets Murphy, a guy who is very good and still pretty unknown.
This should be a straightforward Murphy win as he can out-work Ige on the feet and mix in takedowns as necessary. But like with the main event, Dan Ige is incapable of being finished so instead of taking Murphy straight, go for the Decision prop to increase your value.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Parlay
Geoff Neal (-310)
Neal takes on Rafael dos Anjos in the prelims of UFC 308 and he’s among the fighters I’m most confident in to get a win on Saturday. RDA is a future Hall of Famer, but he’s pushing 40 and has never been a true welterweight. Yes, he’s had success at 170 pounds, but dos Anjos is much better at lightweight where his bully tactics are more effective. Now he’s facing Neal who is still in the prime of his career, substantially bigger, and a very good defensive wrestler. Neal should box RDA’s ears.
Rinat Fakhretdinov (-245)
Originally intended to face Nursulton Ruziboev, instead Fakhretdinov now takes on former PFL fighter Carlos Leal, who steps in on short notice. Fakhretdinov should have the run of play in this one as he can compete on the feet and score takedowns nearly at will. Fakhretdinov is just a damn good fighter and Leal is a bit overmatched in this one.
Parlay these two bets together for -116 odds
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Long Shot
Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway to be Won in the 1st Minute of Round 1 or the Last Minute of the 5th Round (+1800)
We haven’t taken a stab on a long shot in a long time but this Saturday demands it. Holloway now has this insanely cool gimmick of pointing to the ground and slugging it out at the end of fights, to the point that Topuria is calling for them to start the bout like that. And while Holloway does not seem inclined to oblige him, if this thing goes late, you know he will.
And the wonderful folks at FanDuel have you covered with this bet that pays out either way. If Max does meet Ilia in the middle to start and the bout ends quickly, electric. And if this thing goes long, that final stretch will be equally electric.
This bet probably won’t cash, but it’s going to be fun.
Wrap Up
Oof. Tough week over in the PFL as we missed every one of our straight plays. Fortunately, that cannot happen this week as we have no straight plays! Almost every fight this week has pretty long odds so instead of picking straight, we had to opt for a bunch of prop bets instead. Hopefully we picked our spots right.
Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!
All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.
Umar Nurmagomedov says he’s fighting soon, regardless of what Merab Dvalishvili does.
Back in August, Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, setting himself up as the next title challenger for the bantamweight title. So one month later, when Merab Dvalishvili took the belt from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, it looked for all intents and purposes that the promotion had a fight, to the extent that they even asked Dvalishvili about Nurmagomedov in his post-fight speech.
But now things don’t seem nearly so certain.
Over the past couple of months, Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov have feuded publicly over their possible fight, with Dvalishvili even lobbying for an immediate rematch with O’Malley during a Fan Q&A ahead of UFC 308 this weekend. And of course Nurmagomedov responded.
I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as Yadong declined to fight in December — I was told he is injured.
Merab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position — decide who…
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) October 25, 2024
I am not waiting for anyone and I want to fight before Ramadan. I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/hasZPpDO2k
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) October 25, 2024
“I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as [Song] Yadong declined to fight in December — I was told he is injured.
“Merab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position — decide who you are. All the fans and analysts are noticing how you are avoiding the fight. Championship is recognition, but you haven’t received it, and you know that perfectly well.
“I am not waiting for anyone and I want to fight before Ramadan. I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time.”
While the fight was never confirmed, Nurmagomedov was rumored to face Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Tampa on Dec. 14. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili is targeting a return to the cage in 2025.
Francis Ngannou laughed off what former boss Dana White had to say about him.
The former UFC heavyweight champion — who made the choice to leave the promotion and vacate the title in 2023 — and current PFL star was a big talking point during White’s post-fight scrum after Thursday’s Power Slap event. White was asked about Ngannou’s quick knockout win over Renan Ferreira at PFL Battle of the Giants, and it led to White ripping on PFL founder Donn Davis and saying he wanted to cut Ngannou years before.
“The Predator” reacted to White on Sirius XM Fight Nation.
“I think Dana’s trying to make things up to buy good faith in the position he has lost,” Ngannou said. “Dana has lost in this situation… and he cannot stand it. Bro, I won everything: I left. We’ve been apart almost two years and the guy is still out there, he can’t live without it, and hounding me. Regardless of what happened, I’m not about him.
“I went out there, did a fight, had a good fight for my son’s memory, but they guy can’t stand… I don’t know what his problem is. He can make everything up as he wants, that’s his problem. He needs to make peace with himself. …
“You could’ve just said, ‘We couldn’t find an agreement, or couldn’t come up with a deal, good luck to him. That’s it, good for him,’ and we continue our lives,” Ngannou continued. “What’s the problem here? But I think the problem is that he can’t handle this loss. I’m sure he’s been praying for my downfall, but I keep doing my thing and rising as soon as I left the UFC. In any senses, I’m more than what I was.”
Freedom isn’t free, but remember that the benefits always outweigh the price. Don’t let the bully talk you out of it.#Stayfocused pic.twitter.com/D4FxmEZrug
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 25, 2024
“Freedom isn’t free, but remember that the benefits always outweigh the price. Don’t let the bully talk you out of it,” Ngannou said, responding on social media.
Divert attention to the real matter by manipulating the narrative. Lol https://t.co/vW2xPihDrk
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 25, 2024
“Divert attention to the real matter by manipulating the narrative,” Ngannou wrote in a follow-up tweet.
White has claimed that Ngannou left the UFC to make more money fighting lesser competition, and that he left because he didn’t want to risk fighting Jon Jones.
“Francis is all about the money,” White said. “Francis left because he knew that if he fought Jon Jones and didn’t win, it would hurt his chances of making the money that he wanted to make. But realistically, his deal was bigger here. His deal was bigger here if he stayed in the UFC. … They can deny it all they want, why the f*ck would I lie? Why do I care? It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.
“I was going to cut Francis when he lost two in a row. I was going to cut him. Somebody around here begged me not to do it. So it wouldn’t have mattered to me, one way or the other. There’s a much deeper story to this whole thing, and he would have made more money if he stayed in the UFC.”
Ngannou, as expected, completely disagrees, as he entered free agency after capturing the UFC heavyweight title with a brutal knockout of Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in March 2021, and then a successful title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 10 months later.
“Which money is he talking about? The money that he owes me?,” Ngannou said. “Remember, all of this ended with [them] saying, ‘Oh, we’ll backpay you from the money that we owe you for the Stipe [Miocic] and Ciryl Gane fight,’ all of that. They never back payed me.
“Now I have made more money than I have ever made in the UFC — I would say twice the money that I could have ever made in my entire UFC career if I had continued in the UFC. … But either way, if I had made less money, if I’m not making enough money that I could’ve made in the UFC, that’s my problem. Why is he so pissed about me not making that much money? Like, c’mon man, live your life.”
Ilia Topuria | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Can Ilia Topuria retain his title, how can Max Holloway become the new champion again, and what are we most intrigued by in this matchup? Let’s dive in.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Paths to Victory for Ilia Topuria at UFC 308
Max Holloway is a cheater.
MMA is supposed to be an honorable combat sport, where two men step into a cage to find out who is the better, more skilled fighter. This is why fighters get so bent out of shape about Performance Enhancing Drugs because when one fighter takes them and the other doesn’t, it constitutes an unfair advantage. Well, Max Holloway also has an unfair advantage in every fight he’s in: he’s impossible to hurt.
Holloway’s chin is made of some alloy of adamantium and mithril. Through 29 UFC bouts and nearly eight hours of octagon time, Holloway has never officially been knocked down (I say officially because Justin Gaethje 100 percent did drop him, and the stat keepers are idiots) much less out. He’s fought some of the heaviest hitters across two weight classes and they can’t dent him. That’s astonishing, to put it mildly. It’s also cheating because if you cannot be killed, then what chance does your opponent have?!
Well, that chance is in out-working Holloway tactically over 25 minutes, as Alexander Volkanovski did three times. That’s the task ahead for Topuria in his first title defense.
In broad terms, over their first two fights, Volkanovski was able to edge out Holloway with feints, footwork, a sturdy jab, and a bevy of low kicks, both inside and outside. Then in their third encounters, Volkanovski simply whipped his ass with those same tools, plus a renewed willingness to throw in combination, with power. And fortunately for Topuria, he can do all of those things.
Topuria does not generally throw a lot of leg kicks, but I expect that to change for this fight. The champion is certainly capable of throwing them, and they’re a huge weapon both to score and to stifle Holloway’s movement as Topuria tries to back him to the fence. More importantly though, I think the best thing Topuria can do in this fight is commit to body work early and often.
Holloway’s game is built off of his jab and so to beat him, that needs to be priority one. Volkanovski solved that with low kicks and while Topuria should do those as well, he also has the opportunity to change his level under the jab and hit to the body with his own jab or right hand. It’s an excellent weapon to both move Holloway back, square him up, and create openings for going up high in combination. That is the sort of offense that will really get to Holloway and put him behind the eight ball early.
As mentioned, Holloway’s chin is nigh uncrackable, and while that doesn’t mean Topuria should abandon attacking it entirely, it’s ambitious to think all he needs to do to beat Holloway is get him along the fence and lower the boom. Instead, Topuria needs to be prepared for a drawn-out contest where he simply out-scoring Holloway by attacking all levels available.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Paths to victory for Max Holloway at UFC 308
For years, Max Holloway has claimed to have the best boxing in the UFC. Well, that’s about to be put to the test once again.
Though he is only 27 years old, Ilia Topuria already has some of the best boxing in MMA. He has excellent pressure footwork, cuts angles, throws in combination, works all levels of the body and head, and packs ludicrous power. It’s a game designed to walk down opponents, seize the initiative, and level them with efficiency. But it’s not without its weaknesses.
At this point the book is out on kicking Topuria on the open side. Volkanovski, Josh Emmett, and even Jai Herbert all made a point of popping left kicks into the body and up to the head. Topuria employs a high and tight boxing guard, and wants to walk opponents down and these kicks make that more difficult by setting a longer range, outside of his punching threat, or by simply keeping his guard locked in to defend.
In a similar vein, Holloway should also look to kick the legs. Though Topuria ultimately clubbed him with a combination, Volkanovski had decent success against Topuria early by moving around on angles and chopping the lead leg. Given his heavy boxing stance and the frequency with which Topuria uses feints and level changes, it’s a good scoring tool for Holloway.
Lastly, and this would be a relatively new one for Holloway, would be for Max to look for clinches. Holloway does solid work when he’s forced into the clinch but never seeks it out, and so against Topuria that could be a good wrinkle, especially as Topuria himself isn’t a focused clinch fighter. Volkanovski landed good knees in the clinch and Holloway could have similar success.
One Big Thing
The outcome of most high level fights depends on dozens of different things, but frankly, it’s a lot to list all of those out. Instead, let’s simplify things by determining the One Big Thing that will determine Saturday’s winner.
Who seizes the initiative?
Both Topuria and Holloway prefer to fight on the front foot, taking the initiative and leading the dance. For Topuria, it’s imposing pressure and physicality to maneuver opponents back to the fence, cut off their escape routes, and level them. For Holloway, it’s simply to force opponents to the back foot where he has more freedom to work in long combinations against retreating forces. But in both cases, both men want to be leading the dance and whoever wins this battle of wills should win the fight.
One Small Thing
Now we know the single most important factor of Saturday’s main event, but what about something else entirely that almost certainly won’t happen but if it does could change everything.
Stand your ground.
May fighters have signature moves but Holloway has perhaps the coolest one in MMA history: pointing to the ground and beckoning a brawl in the last 10 seconds of a fight. Earlier this year it lead to one of the greatest knockouts of all-time, and as a result, Topuria even challenged Holloway to start their fight off like that. Holloway already vetoed this idea, but what if he doesn’t? Honestly, this might be a very good strategy for Holloway as his unbreakable chin gives him a decided advantage in any wild firefight like that.
Prediction
I fear this may be a difficult fight for Max Holloway. “Blessed” has had a remarkable career and his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 will live forever, but upon closer inspection that victory has some of the trappings of an all-time great fighter proving his bonafides despite declining. Meanwhile, Topuria is not yet in his best or final form and was able to Volkanovski — a man who beat Holloway three times — with relative ease. And given that Holloway isn’t nearly as good on the back foot as Volkanovski is, the most likely scenario to mean seems to be Topuria bullying Holloway around the cage for 25 minutes.
Holloway is an exceptional fighter and if he can defy the odds on Saturday, it will be an all-time great performance, but I think we’re living in the Topuria era now.
Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46).
Merab Dvalishvili still believes Sean O’Malley deserves a rematch before Umar Nurmagomedov gets his chance to fight for UFC gold.
Dvalishvili captured the bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over O’Malley at UFC 306 in September. Following the win, it appeared the surging Nurmagomedov would be next in line after his dominant win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi, but reports have circulated that Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong are in talks for a bout. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting recently that, as of now, the fight is not a done deal.
At Friday’s UFC 308 fan Q&A, Dvalishvili was asked by a fan why he’s afraid to face Nurmagomedov, and leaning more towards a rematch with O’Malley.
Merab crashed out after this fan said he’s ducking Umar
“Boo this guy!… Where is [Umar], tell me!…
You know what, Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me. Sean O’Malley deserves to fight me… Umar has to prove [himself].”#UFC #MMA
pic.twitter.com/SNGt0AK2tt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 25, 2024
“Let’s boo to this guy,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m not scared of no one, only God.
“Where is this guy? He’s taking [another] fight. He’s scared. He’s fighting somebody else. Where is [he]? Where is [he]? Tell me. He wants to get knocked out by somebody else, and then he’s going to make excuse. He’s not going to make this fight. I’m not making fight. Dana White and Hunter [Campbell] make decision [for] who I’m going to fight next. I don’t know. I don’t make decision. I never make decision.”
So what will ultimately be next for the new bantamweight champion? Dvalishvili says he’ll let the UFC brass make the determination. But if it were his call, “The Machine” says O’Malley should be the rightful foe, as Nurmagomedov has more to show before getting his opportunity.
“If Dana White tells me I have to fight Umar, I’m fighting Umar, OK?,’ Dvalishvili said. “But, you know what? Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me. Sean O’Malley deserves to fight me, and I’m going to rematch him. He deserves it, and after, Umar has to prove [himself], and I will fight him.”
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will square off in the UFC 308 main event. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The anticipated clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308 is almost here.
The other fighters at UFC 308 media day gave their opinions on how it will all go down at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon.
Ilia Topuria (15-0) makes his first title defense at the event. Topuria won the belt in his last trip to the Octagon when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round at UFC 298 this past February.
Holloway (26-7) has won four of his last five fights. The former UFC champion is coming off of one of the most iconic performances of his career when he delivered a fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 300 main event to win the “BMF” title belt. He earned Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night honors for this memorable clash.
Holloway has had three title shots since he last had the belt at UFC 240, coming up short each time against Volkanovski.
Francis Ngannou | Photo by Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images
Francis Ngannou almost didn’t come back to fighting.
This past weekend, Ngannou made his long-awaited return to MMA, fighting Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL Superfights: Battle of the Giants. But Ngannou’s return was far from a certainty. Earlier this year “The Predator” suffered a terrible tragedy when his 15-month-old son Kobe died due to a medical issue, and speaking with TMZ Sports, the lineal heavyweight champion admits after it happened, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever fight again.
“Yes, there was a point that I didn’t know anything,” Ngannou said when asked if he thought he might never fight again after his son’s passing. “Everything seemed so fragile. You didn’t know if maybe if it would not happen to you to, if it’s not some sort of genetic pandemic, genetic disease, I don’t know, a curse. If it was just bad luck that was going to keep happening. A lot of stuff happens in your head that you don’t usually think about, or you never think about.”
Ultimately, Ngannou did decide to fight on and returned in good form, finishing Ferreira with strikes in the first round. But though he made the performance look easy, Ngannou says the preparation was anything but.
“By far. It was by far the toughest [training camp of my life],” Ngannou said. “When I thought about retiring, it wasn’t an option, because retiring … was to put the responsibility on my son again, which is not his responsibility. Then I said maybe I should wait for a little while before going back to fighting but I didn’t know when exactly. I didn’t know when there would be a time that it’s going to go away, it’s going to be OK. It’s just one of those things you just realize at the beginning you better learn how to roll with it because it will always be there. …
“It was a way for me not only to have something to focus on but maybe do something to honor him, seeing as I didn’t have a chance to fight for him.”
The win was Ngannou’s first fight in the PFL, after taking the previous year and a half to pursue his interests in boxing. But given everything that’s happened to him this year, Ngannou doesn’t have any concrete plans about what comes next, be it boxing or MMA.
“I haven’t really thought about what’s next,” Ngannou said. “I have no idea. Not only will I take some time to rest, because I had a feeling that I took this fight too early. There were too many emotions, I was in a different space. …
“I’ll take some time, see what’s out there, what is offering itself. Then I will consider something if there is something good.”
TOP STORIES
Promotion. Dana White revealed he almost cut Francis Ngannou from the UFC in 2018.
Stand and deliver. Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway got into a heated exchange about the “stand and point” maneuver ahead of UFC 308.
Beef. Dana White had harsh words for PFL CEO Donn Davis as they continue to spar.
Champ. Belal Muhammad laughs off Ilia Topuria saying he wants to become a three-division champion.
Rules. New York State Athletic Commission set to adopt new MMA rules ahead of UFC 309.
PowerSlap. Paige VanZant penalized for illegal strike in her second PowerSlap outing.
VIDEO STEW
Between the Links.
UFC 308 press conference.
UFC 308 Open Workout highlights.
Dana White scrum.
UFC 308 Embedded, episode 4.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Jake Paul.
3 years ago he was telling Jon Jones to move down to 185 to avoid @francis_ngannou and that Jon didn’t really want to fight Francis…but now the narrative doesn’t suit Dana…pic.twitter.com/c8phYK2lLE
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) October 25, 2024
Jon Fitch.
This wife beating piece of shit would tell fighters before every show at the rules meeting to “lay it all on the line” and “go out on your shield” to put on a show and that the UFC would always take care of them.
That was a lie https://t.co/Oott5PMnqM
— Jon Fitch ☠️ (@jonfitchdotnet) October 25, 2024
Merab Dvalishvili really trying to book a fight no one wants.
pic.twitter.com/hGE19SadHo
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) October 24, 2024
Good decision.
MMA Fans … YOU asked us, we listened, and here it is for YOU:
PFL 2024 World Championships FRI NOV 29 at 2p US ET
FREE ESPN+ FREE
6 World Title Fights 6 Million Dollar Checks
FREE ESPN+ FREE#PFL #PFLMMA
— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) October 24, 2024
Adrian Yanez.
Was a solid win for a comeback, but I gotta get another fight. Sitting on the sidelines since May.. I need a fight. https://t.co/wxQw8QCn8w
— Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) October 24, 2024
FINAL THOUGHTS
People will underrate it because of a lack of interest in the PFL, and the lack of respect for Renan Ferreira, but Ngannou coming back like he did under these circumstances was incredibly, incredibly impressive.
Now, just one more sleep to the big event this weekend.
EXIT POLL
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 
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