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Israel Adesanya will be paying close attention to the UFC 308 co-main event between fellow middleweights Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.

Whittaker and Chimaev will battle for a scheduled five rounds this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Having faced Whittaker twice, Adesanya is quite familiar with what “The Reaper” brings to the table. But Chimaev’s wrestling is a big point of contention for the former champion, especially early.

“I don’t think Rob’s going to run through Khamzat,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Finally, we get to see [Chimaev] fight a legit middleweight, one of the top middleweights, one of the greatest middleweights of all time.

“I think Khamzat’s going to attack him with the wrestling so Rob’s going to have to scramble for his life initially, weather the storm, and I think it’s going to be a wrestling-based attack. I think he’s going to try and submit Rob. I don’t think he’s going to stand with Rob. Yeah, [Chimaev has a chance striking], but I don’t think it’s a great chance on the feet with Rob because Rob will just snipe him. Rob will just move in and out, in and out, and then blitz.

“I think while Rob is blitzing, Khamzat will take him down. … I think Khamzat, if he’s going to win, he’s going to have to do it in the first or second round and catch Rob early with a submission. I don’t see him dropping Rob. He’s got good standup, also, he’s tough on the feet like the fight with Gilbert Burns and Kamaru [Usman]. You can tell, he’s down to throw.”

With Dana White saying Sean Strickland is likely next for 185-pound champ Dricus du Plessis, the stakes are still extremely high for both Whittaker and Chimaev, with the winner likely in the on-deck circle for a chance to capture the middleweight crown.

Regardless of who comes out victorious, Adesanya is confident the judges will not be needed. In the end, it comes down to if Whittaker can get the fight extended towards the championship rounds — which “The Last Stylebender” predicts will happen.

“Rob, just weather the storm in rounds one and two, and then three, four, five, that’s all Rob,” Adesanya said. “But again, Rob has fought a guy like Romero, twice. Romero was hitting him with these f*cking crazy takedowns, trying to get him, and Rob was like, ‘Nah, I’m standing up.’ So Rob knows his shit on the ground.

“How long will he be able to keep Khamzat off of him, and will he be able to stop Khamzat’s onslaught of takedowns and grappling exchanges in the first two rounds? I’d say, early on, Khamzat will submit him if he’s going to win, and then later on, Rob will just TKO him in round three, four, or five. I don’t know which round, but one of them.

“But which one do I want to go with? I think Rob is just a guy not to be f*cked with. I mean, look at his last fight so hopefully people remember who he is now. So I think Rob will do it again — maybe not as early, definitely not as early. … I think he’ll catch him later on, but he’s got to weather the storm. He has to survive until he can’t. I’m going to go Rob on this one with a late finish.”

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champions Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will clash TONIGHT (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) at UFC 308 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Topuria enters his first title defense with an outright annoying amount of self-confidence, but can anyone blame the 27-year-old “Matador” for feeling atop the world? His UFC career couldn’t be going any more smoothly. The undefeated champion is handing out knockouts with regularity and has utterly dominated all of his opponents — he’s earned a bit of swagger.

On the flip side, Holloway has been the young champion, seen rises and falls, and still emerged as one of the best in the world. Really, who has suffered more painful title defeats and blown away expectations at the highest level more than Holloway? His career is one-of-a-kind, and the Hawaiian can build on his legacy further by dethroning the first standout champion of the next generation.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Photo by Francois Nel/Zuffa LLC

Topuria vs. Holloway Betting Odds

• Ilia Topuria victory: -230
• Ilia Topuria via TKO/KO/DQ: +175
• Ilia Topuria via submission: +500
• Ilia Topuria via decision: +250
• Max Holloway victory: +190
• Max Holloway via TKO/KO/DQ: +550
• Max Holloway via submission: +2500
• Max Holloway via decision: +400
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Topuria Wins

Topuria is much more of a bull than matador. He’s not sloppy — with the exception of the Bryce Mitchell fight, in which it was clear Topuria had ZERO regard for his opponent — but Topuria excels at inching towards his opponents, backing them to the fence, then unleashing heinously powerful combinations.

Despite Topuria’s wrestling and grappling expertise, this feels like a striking match, because nobody has ever been able to ground Holloway consistently. It would probably be a waste of energy to really try, though a takedown feint or two is never a bad idea to keep the Hawaiian honest.

For Topuria, this bout is all about closing through Holloway’s varied range offense of jabs, teeps, and side kicks. Holloway is very, very good at stranding opponents on the edge of his feints and distance strikes. Topuria just had to deal with a similar challenge in Volkanovski, but Holloway has a lot more tools at his disposal.

Getting inside means taking away Holloway’s weapons. Topuria’s calf kick should return with a vengeance, both as a counter to the jab and return off Holloway’s kicks. The Spanish athlete has to be mindful in identifying the real jabs from the fakes — jabbing with Holloway could help here — and then fire when he gets his timing.

Ultimately, Topuria has to make the most of his moments when Holloway’s back is to the fence. Knocking out Holloway may be functionally impossible, but hurting him can still win the fight.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Holloway Wins

Holloway is the greatest volume striker in UFC history, and he pairs that legendary cardio with a versatile approach to kickboxing. We’ve seen Holloway pressure and fight at distance, work from both stances, and even adjust his positioning entirely based on the opponent.

Despite being one of the most fearsome punchers Holloway has ever faced, this fight may call for an increase in pressure and aggression. Topuria has grown very accustomed to fighters feeling less-than-confident in exchanges, meaning he gets to dictate the pace and explode forward into punches.

We really haven’t seen Topuria forced onto his back foot. Josh Emmett had the power to try, but he’s never been a pressure boxer and was content to work from the outside. Holloway, conversely, has the skill, durability, and experience to try to force Topuria onto his back foot. That’s not to say he should be reckless, but there’s every chance Topuria’s counters aren’t nearly as powerful as his charges.

Otherwise, I’d really like to see Holloway pull out all of his kicking tools here. Topuria fights mostly as a boxer, and Holloway can best take advantage of that with a variety of kicks. He should be side kicking the thigh, blasting power rounds kicks from both stances, spinning, and following punches with high kicks to both sides, trying to catch Topuria slipping into his shin.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Topuria vs. Holloway Prediction

It’s really hard to go against the fighter who looks the part of a future pound-for-pound king.

Holloway is great and still has plenty left in the tank. He has more tools on the feet and could win the fight in a variety of ways. The head kick KO shouldn’t be discounted. Unfortunately, it’s just too hard to overlook the fact that Holloway has never been impossible to hit, and Topuria has nuclear bombs in his fists. If any combination is going to put Holloway cold, I would bet on that Topuria 2-3-2.

Bottom line: Holloway gives a good account of himself, but the speed and power of the younger champion generally lets him dictate exchanges and win the fight.

Prediction: Topuria via decision (+250)

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Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway are set to cap off UFC 308 with a generational clash for the UFC featherweight championship.

Topuria and Holloway will headline the promotion’s pay-per-view return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. It will be featherweight champion vs. BMF champion, as Topuria defends for the first time against Holloway, a former 145-pound titleholder.

Check out the cold open for UFC 308, narrated by Ron Perlman.

Topuria captured the title with a sensational knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to remain undefeated. Holloway delivered one of the most memorable moments in UFC history at April’s UFC 300 event, knocking out Justin Gaethje in the final second of their BMF title fight.

In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker looks to state his case for a title shot as he faces the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round matchup.

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Francis Ngannou has responded to Dana White’s comments regarding his departure from the UFC after 2023. Ngannou, who vacated his heavyweight title to explore free agency, went on to secure highly lucrative matchups against boxing icons Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

In his return to MMA, the former UFC heavyweight champion achieved a decisive finish over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants. Earlier this week, White suggested that financial incentives drove Ngannou’s recent career choices. White shared that he even considered releasing Ngannou after he suffered back-to-back losses to Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis in 2018.

In a recent interview, Ngannou addressed White’s remarks, expressing confusion over why White continues to criticize him. “Regardless of everything that happened, I’m not about him,” Ngannou said in an interview with Sirius XM Fight Nation. “I went out there, did a fight, had a good fight for my son’s memory, but the guy can’t stand— I don’t know what his problem is. He can make everything up as he wants. That’s his problem. I think he needs to make peace with himself.”

Ngannou elaborated on his perspective, adding, “(He) could’ve just said, ‘We didn’t find an agreement. We couldn’t come to a deal, but good luck to him.’ That’s it, you know? Good for him, and we continue our lives. What’s the problem here? I think the problem is he can’t handle this loss.”

White’s Intentions

Ngannou believes White struggles to accept how things played out and even questions whether White wishes to see him fail in the new chapter of his career. For his part, Ngannou is committed to focusing on his own path forward.

“Dana has lost in this situation, and the only thing is that he cannot stand it,” Ngannou stated. “Bro, I won everything. Now I have made more money than I would have ever made in the UFC. I’d say maybe twice what I could have made in my entire UFC career if I had continued there. I’m not just saying from the moment that I stopped. Either way, even if I’ve made less, if I’m not making as much as I could’ve in the UFC, that would be my problem. Why is he so pissed about me not making that much money? C’mon, man, live your life.”

Continue Reading Francis Ngannou: Dana White Can’t Stand He Lost, I Won ‘Everything’ at MMA News.

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A huge part of the reason why Max Holloway took a fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 was knowing that a win would give him any number of options for his career.

He not only won but Holloway pulled off one of the greatest finishes in UFC history when he pointed to the ground late in the fifth round and invited Gaethje to throw down with him. With one second remaining on the clock, Holloway delivered a stunning knockout that sent Gaethje face first to the canvas as the crowd at T-Mobile Arena erupted with applause.

That fight crowned Holloway as the “BMF” champion but he ultimately decided that his next move was returning to featherweight where he challenges Ilia Topuria for the title in the UFC 308 main event. While the title fight is all that matters to him right now, Holloway knows a win on Saturday puts him right back in that same advantageous position and he promises he hasn’t forgotten about his other belt.

“For sure. I think so for sure,” Holloway said about defending the ‘BMF’ title. “At the end of the day in this sport, the thing that you want is options. I go out there, I get my hand raised. What is the saying? The world is my oyster. I can’t wait for it.”

Assuming he gets through Topuria and becomes a two-time featherweight champion, Holloway understands that there’s going to be plenty of work to do in that division as well.

Winning the title potentially lines up Holloway for a fourth fight against Alexander Volkanovski after suffering three past losses to him. Volkanovski was promised a shot at the belt in his return to action following a knockout loss to Topuria back in February.

Of course, Holloway hasn’t forgotten about the other name in the hat right now and that belongs to Diego Lopes, who is actually serving as the backup fighter for the UFC 308 main event. Whether it’s Volkanovski or Lopes next, Holloway can’t wait for those kinds of challenges as champion.

“He’s an animal,” Holloway said about Lopes. “The way he’s been fighting. Taking fights on short notice. Showing up in those short notice fights and he’s a beast. When I saw that he was the backup, I was kind of blown away for a little bit because of all the talk that Alex was saying that he’s the next guy up in line and this and that and then also, it makes sense that Alex ain’t no backup fighter. They told him he’d get the next title fight.

“It’s just weird that they’re telling Alex he has the next title fight and then to have another guy as the backup. But I guess so. If you look at the heavyweight division, anything can happen in the world. At the end of the day, I think Diego Lopes is a promising upcoming star. He’s not even upcoming anymore. He’s doing what he’s doing. It’s cool. Congrats to him having that moment.”

Before he can think about defending his “BMF” title or really paying attention to who’s next at featherweight, Holloway first has to reclaim that 145-pound title on Saturday.

While he can’t totally encapsulate the feeling of winning at UFC 308 given that it hasn’t happened yet, Holloway has a good idea at just how much another title run would mean to him.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Holloway said. “With all the naysayers, with all the doubters, with all the fanbase that he’s bringing in, the support that he has. It’s going to be great. I can’t wait to go out there and prove to the world.

“To be the best you’ve got to beat the best and the best is ‘Blessed.’ On Oct. 26, I get to show the world again.”

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