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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The UFC 308 live stream online will feature all the early action on the Topuria vs. Holloway fight card from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday night.

The UFC 308 live stream online will kick off at 10 a.m. ET above. There will be eight fights on this portion of the card, and those fights are listed below.

Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai

Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett

Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo

Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal

Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira

After this portion of the card is over, the five-fight main card, headlined by UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defending his title against former UFC champion Max Holloway in the main event, will be on ESPN+ pay-per-view starting at 2 p.m. ET. Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker will clash with Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event.

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