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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ilia Topuria did what no one has ever done when he put Max Holloway down and out with a vicious knockout to defend his title and cap off the UFC 308 main event.

It was a stunning performance from the reigning featherweight champion as he dealt with some adversity in moments as Holloway kept after him with a nasty lead jab and showing patience in the exchanges. But it was only a matter of time until Topuria found his opening and it was a huge right hand in the third round that wobbled Holloway and sent him stumbling towards the cage.

Topuria immediately seized on the opening as he rushed forward and unloaded a massive left hook that twisted Holloway’s head around and sent him crashing to the canvas. A few more hammer fists followed but the fight was already over as the referee rushed in to rescue Holloway with the end coming at 1:34 in the third round.

While there was a lot of talk between them beforehand, Topuria paid homage to Holloway in his post-fight interview.

“I don’t know what to say to be honest,” Topuria said following his first title defense. “To beat a legend like Max Holloway, it’s something that I can’t even believe. He inspired me so much in my career. He’s been a great example for the new generation.

“I’ve always said now that I represent the new generation. I hope I’m going to be a small portion of the example for what he’s been for me, for the new generation. All the credit to Max Holloway. He’s the man.”

Prior to the finish, Topuria definitely knew he had a fight on his hand with a back-and-forth battle throughout the first two rounds of the fight.

As the action got started, Topuria actually caught Holloway by surprise with a well-timed takedown but featherweights were quick to get back to the feet. On the restart, Holloway peppered away with a good lead jab and Topuria countered with a nasty calf kick followed by a hard right hand behind it.

Topuria was really loading up with his punches while Holloway showed poise and patience as he continued to operate behind that lead jab. A late flurry allowed Topuria to connect with a solid shot as the fighters stumbled to the floor but the action stalled before the horn sounded to end the round.

While Holloway was still connecting consistently with that same straight punch, Topuria finally started finding a home for his big overhand punches as he dipped inside with no fear of reprisal. He popped Holloway with a hard left and a stiff right as Topuria started gaining some confidence in the exchanges.

Still, Holloway maintained his range and backed out before Topuria could really do the most damage possible with his immense power. In return, Holloway continued chipping away at the champion, which included a heavy right hand that popped Topuria in the jaw.

Almost like he was just biding his time and waiting for the right moment to unleash his true power, Topuria came out aggressive in the third round and he led with those same devastating hooks that put Holloway on notice. As he continued pressing forward, Topuria cracked Holloway with the right hand that spelled the beginning of the end.

With Holloway wobbled, Topuria set up the fight finishing punch as he unleashed the left hand that put the Hawaiian down and out for the first time in his legendary career.

“I caught him with many punches but exactly with that right hand, I felt it,” Topuria said about the knockout. “I just saw it in his face. He started making some steps back. You don’t see that often in Max Holloway. I felt that. My brother told me from the corner keep pushing, keep putting the pressure on him, this is what I did and finally I got the knockout.”

While it obviously wasn’t the result he wanted, Holloway had nothing but praise when addressing Topuria and his performance on Saturday.

“We got ready for everything,” Holloway said. “He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did. I felt great until he did it. That’s this sport. Hats off to him.

“No excuses, I feel great. I had a great camp, no injuries. I went out here, did my thing. He was just the better man tonight. He gave me the name ‘bounce back’ so I’ll see you again, my friend.”

In back-to-back fights, Topuria has now knocked out arguably two of the greatest featherweights in UFC history as he cements his own legacy as champion. Following his win, Topuria was greeted by Alexander Volkanovski in the cage, who is presumably next in line for a rematch with hopes that he can reclaim the title.

Topuria appears more than willing to offer him that opportunity and the same goes for Diego Lopes, who weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 308.

“I want to have both of them,” Topuria said. “I swear to god. We’re going to do it again. [Volkanovski] deserves that. If someone deserve it, it’s him.”

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UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria were both rewarded handsomely for pulling off nigh-impossible feats.

The two headlining bouts of UFC 308 on Saturday produced two of the most shocking finishes in recent memory, with Chimaev submitting Robert Whittaker with a brutal, jaw-breaking submission, and Topuria successfully defending his title in the main event with a third-round knockout of the legendary Max Holloway.

Both fighters were awarded with $ 50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses, UFC CEO Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference.

Chimaev became just the second fighter ever to submit Whittaker and the first since October 2011, before Whittaker was even in the UFC. As for Topuria, he became the first fighter to score a knockout victory over Holloway, a former UFC champion and a veteran of 34 pro bouts.

UFC 308 was an action-packed night and White’s team saw fit to hand out an extra Performance of the Night bonus, this one going to Shara Magomedov, popularly known as “Shara Bullet.”

The undefeated middleweight opened the main card with a thrilling knockout of Armen Petrosyan that saw him throw consecutive spinning backfists to put Petrosyan down for the count.

Fight of the Night went to a preliminary battle between Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai.

Rebecki and Orolbai brutalized each other for three rounds, with Orolbai in particular looking worse for wear as his right eye swelled to a ridiculous size. In the end, Rebecki won a split decision, though both men leave Abu Dhabi with well-deserved bonuses.

One noticeable omission from the bonus list was light heavyweight Ibo Alsan, who needed just 51 seconds to punch out Raffael Cerqueira. Though White said they wouldn’t give out a sixth $ 50,000 bonus, he assured that Aslan would receive a bonus of an undisclosed amount.

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Bonus Report
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Robert Whittaker had his jaw and teeth re-arranged earlier today (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) at UFC 308 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, when undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev ended him with a first-round face crank submission.

While Chimaev came into this fight with an unscathed record many believed Whittaker’s quickness, experience, and well-rounded skill set could be enough to subdue “Borz.” Unfortunately, Whittaker really didn’t get a good chance to display his own gameplan as Chimaev rushed in and quickly took him down in the opening moments of the fight.

Whittaker, who has shown to have a solid ground game, was able to stand back up once before Khamzat dragged him down again. From that point on it was all Chimaev as the middleweight sensation sliced through Whittaker and grabbed a hold of his head and neck. Before Chimaev was able to apply a rear-naked choke he attacked Whittaker’s jawline and ended up dislocating it. He took out some teeth on the way. Whittaker had no option but to tap.

The finish can be seen HERE.

After the co-main event beatdown, UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier got a hold of a photo of Whittaker’s broken mouth and shared it. As you may imagine, Whittaker’s jaw and teeth were absolutely destroyed. It’s a testament to Chimaev’s strength, technique, and ability to make the most seasoned fighters look normal.

Check out the NSFW photo below:

For complete UFC 308 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts