After gaining his title earlier this year by beating one of the most decorated featherweights in UFC history, Ilia Topuria held onto his top-dog status in the division with a win over another 145-pound legend this weekend.
Topuria became the first fighter to stop former champ Max Holloway with strikes, forcing a third-round finish in the main event of UFC 308. The title fight headlined a pay-per-view card from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates this weekend.
Known for his toughness as a fighter, Holloway surprisingly got rocked by a hard right hand from Topuria early in the fight’s third round. Finding an opening in what was up until that point an incredibly close fight, Topuria further pressed Holloway on the feet.
Topuria charged forward with punch combinations, searching to top what had been the most emphatic moment of the fight up until that point. A left hook from the champ sent Holloway crashing to the canvas and had the former champ in more trouble than ever before in his career. Topuria was quick to follow up on this moment, scoring with ground and pound until the referee stopped the fight.
The finish came following a close striking battle on the feet through two rounds. The taller Holloway used his jab and counter-striking skills to out-land Topuria, but the champ was able to come forward with hooks to the head which seemed to carry more power.
After the fight, Topuria credited Holloway for how he has influenced the sport.
“I don’t know what to say, to be honest,” Topuria said. “To beat a legend like Max Holloway, it’s something that I couldn’t even believe … He’s been a great example for the [next] generation, and I’ve always said I represent the new generation.”
Holloway was aiming to regain the featherweight title roughly five years after he was dethroned by Alexander Volkanovski. While Holloway came up short in a pair of rematches against Volkanovski, he had otherwise maintained an 11-year undefeated run at featherweight and overcome some of the division’s top contenders.
Holloway had a three-fight winning streak heading into Saturday, including his prolific fifth-round knockout win up at lightweight against Justin Gaethje.
“He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did,” said Holloway, who is now tied with Darren Elkins for most featherweight appearances in UFC history. “I felt great ’til he did it.”
Topuria, a fighter representing Spain and Georgia, captured the featherweight title earlier this year with a second-round finish against Volkanovski. He now has an undefeated record of 16 wins, with victories over fighters who hold the second and third-longest title reigns in featherweight history.
After the fight, Topuria embraced the idea of rematching decorated former champ Volkanovski, saying he “deserves” the opportunity.
Chimaev Returns With Win Over Whittaker
Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev can officially be considered one of the top title challengers at middleweight.
While the career of Chimaev has received lots of setbacks over the past few years, the 30-year-old’s first-round submission win over Robert Whittaker on Saturday night makes him one of the few top names to face current 185-pound champ Dricus Du Plessis.
Chimaev took Whittaker down moments into their five-round clash in the UFC 308 co-main event, and after three minutes of suffocating grappling was able to force a tap due to a face crank.
The big win should shoot Chimaev from his 13th-place spot in the middleweight rankings up to the top five. He is now considered a frontrunner for a shot against Du Plessis, along with the possibility of the champ rematching Sean Strickland next.
Many have long expected Chimaev to become a contender-level fighter, although it has been a surprise to some that it took him numerous years to finally reach that point.
Many out-of-the-cage controversies – suffering illnesses including a bout with COVID-19 which briefly pushed him into retirement, struggling to make weight at 170 pounds and eventually being forced to go up to middleweight, and not being able to compete in the U.S. due to his ties with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov – have meant that he is now expected to break into the division’s upper echelon after four years in the promotion.
Whittaker was aiming to close out what had been a strong 2024 up until this weekend. He previously got past former title challenger Paulo Costa and scored a first-round finish against Ikram Aliskerov, bouncing him back from a 2023 loss to now-champ Du Plessis.
Main Card (2:00PM EDT / 10:00PM GST) (PPV)
Bout 13: Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:34) (UFC Featherweight Championship)
Bout 12: Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via Submission, Face Crank (RD 1, 3:34)
Bout 11: Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:52)
Preliminary Card (10:00AM EDT / 6:00PM GST) (ESPN+)
Bout 8: Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:50)
Bout 7: Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO, Injury (RD 1, 1:40)
Bout 6: Mateus Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via Decision, Split
Bout 5: Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 3, 3:14)
Bout 4: Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:27)
Bout 3: Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via Decision, Unanimous
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