After Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) stole the spotlight last weekend with its “Battle of the Giants” event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is once again taking center stage with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) offering. Indeed, UFC 308 is set to go down later TODAY (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE on ESPN+, featuring a Featherweight title fight between division king, Ilia Topuria, defending his belt against former champion, Max Holloway. In the co-main event, former Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, will face off against Khamzat Chimaev.
What’s Hot:
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Ilia Topuria emphatically took the 145-pound title from Alexander Volkanovski via second-round knockout at UFC 298 earlier this year (see it again here), capping off a tremendous run so far in his immaculate mixed martial arts (MMA) career — improving to 15-0, 7-0 UFC. Now, “El Matador” begins his championship run with his first defense lined up against perhaps the most storied division champion in history, Max Holloway, who has been involved in a total of eight title fights at 145 pounds. The scary thing about Topuria is, while he is very well polished in the his all-around game, his confidence is frightening. And it’s not boisterous confidence like that of Conor McGregor’s — yes, he likes to talk — but it’s his cool demeanor in which he carries himself in and out of the cage. He knows he’s going to destroy you, and there’s not much you can do about it. That’s frightening for any opponent.
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But Holloway isn’t just any opponent. “Blessed” is one of the most respected fighters in the history of the game for his willingness to take on any and all comers — regardless of weight class — and he leaves it in the cage every time out. Take his last fight for example: he was up on the scorecards against Justin Gaethje as the clock is winding down on their “BMF” title fight, yet he challenges one of the most dangerous strikers in the game to go toe-to-toe in the final 10 seconds, risking himself getting clipped and losing the fight. Fortunately for him, it worked out in his favor as he delivered perhaps the best knockout of 2024 with one second remaining in the fight. And that’s just ONE of the MANY reasons Holloway is so beloved. Throughout his combat career he has delivered one highlight finish after another, and he is capable of doing it against Topuria.
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That said, many are classifying this title fight as “Old vs. New,” seeing as how Topuria is 27 to Holloway’s 32. While that’s not a huge difference, it’s the time spent fighting that matters. Holloway has been in the game since he was a teenager, turning pro at the age of 20, making his UFC debut just two years later. All told, he has been fighting hard battles inside the Octagon for 12 years now, and while he has delivered a lot of punishment, he has taken some, as well. Still, “Blessed” has never been knocked out, but if any man can be the first it’s Topuria, who has challenged the Hawaiian striker to stand in the middle of the cage in the first 10 seconds and go to war. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but one thing that is certain is that this has the makings of one of the best fights of the year. For Holloway, it could be his last chance at recapturing Featherweight gold. For Topuria, a win over Holloway further solidifies himself as the best 145-pound fighter on the planet, and his confidence and stock will only skyrocket.
What’s Not:
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Lerone Murphy is currently 14-0-1, 6-0-1 UFC and is ranked No. 12 at Featherweight. His opponent, Dan Ige, is coming off a loss to Diego Lopes — a fight he took last-second — and is 1-2 in his last three bouts, and is ranked behind him at No. 14. Why Murphy agreed to his fight is beyond me. It’s a dangerous fight for him against someone that ranked behind him and with not as good as track record as him over the last few years because Ige is 3-5 in his last eight UFC fights. I have an issue with the matchmaking here. Don’t get me wrong, it should be a banger, it’s just the statistics of it all.
Original Card vs. Actual Card:
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Justin Tafa withdrew from his Heavyweight fight against Kennedy Nzechukwu for unknown reasons and replaced by Chris Barnett, who will be making his long-awaited return to action after sitting on the sidelines for two years, as“Huggy Bear” was last seen knocking out Jake Collier at UFC 279 (see it again here). Also, Carlos Leal agreed to step in and make his UFC debut on short notice opposite Rinat Fakhretdinov after Nursulton Ruziboev had to bow out of the fight. During fight week, a fight between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos was cancelled after Santos was mysterious yanked from the event with no undisclosed reason by the promotion.
Injuries:
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A Heavyweight fight between Alexander Volkov and Ciryl Gane was set to go down on this card before the promotion moved it up UFC 310 at the end of the year as a result of Volkov suffering a knee injury. Also, Nursulton Ruziboev was forced out of his fight against Rinat Fakhretdinov with an undisclosed injury and replaced by UFC newcomer, Carlos Leal.
New Blood:
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Rafael Cerqueira will make his UFC debut opposite Ibo Aslan in a Light Heavyweight affair. Cerqueira is undefeated at 11-0 with 10 finishes — eight via knockout/technical knockout (TKO), two via submission — eight in the very first round. “The Lion” is all gas and no brakes, but he will be going up against an equally aggressive foe because “The Last Ottoman” has finished all 13 of the opponents he has finished to rack up an impressive 13-1 record.
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Carlos Leal will make his Octagon debut when he takes on Rinat Fakhretdinov in a Welterweight showdown. Leal has vast experience having competed under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner and Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), winning the 170-pound title in that promotion. One of his other biggest wins to date came against former PFL champion, Ray Cooper III, and now looks to shine in his first-ever UFC fight. It will be a tough battle to say the least because Fakhredtdinov is on fire, coming in on a 22-fight unbeaten streak, going 4-0-1 inside the Octagon.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
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Rafael dos Anjos and Geoff Neal have both seen better days inside the Octagon. “RDA” is currently riding a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four fights. As for Neal, he has also lost two in a row at the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry. Both men are in desperate need of wins here, though I highly doubt either one of them will get the pink slip with another loss.
An intriguing Bantamweight Featherweight fight between Farid Basharat and Victor Hugo could steal the undercard show. Hugo is coming in on a 14-fight win streak, and has racked up nine finishes along the way. He made a successful UFC debut by defeating Pedro Falcao via unanimous decision earlier this year. Basharat, meanwhile, is undefeated at 12-0 and is 3-0 so far in his UFC career. The drama intensified in this fight because Hugo missed weight by a whole weight class, though the fight was not cancelled and will now be contested at 145 pounds.
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In the Middleweight division, Abus Magomedov will attempt to secure his first back-to-back win inside the Octagon when he battles Brunno Ferreira. Magomedov is coming off a win over Warlley Alves this past summer, snapping his two-fight losing streak. As for Ferreira, he has won two straight via first-round knockout, including a spinning-back elbow knockout of Dustin Stoltzfus (see it again here), improving his overall UFC record to 3-1.
Mateusz Rebecki had his 16-fight win streak snapped by Diego Ferreira in his last outing, his first defeat in nearly a decade. He will now look to bounce back and start another streak when he meets Myktybek Orolbai in a Lightweight affair. Oralbai is currently on an eight-fight win streak and has passed his first two challenges under the the UFC banner.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
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Ismail Naurdiev will get another crack at making an impression inside the Octagon when he takes on Bruno Silva at Middleweight after going 2-2 in his first time around. He is coming off a first-round submission win under the Brave FC banner, and will look to hand Silva his fourth straight defeat. That said, Silva needs a win in the worst way because he has lost five of his last six fights, and one more defeat could earn him his walking papers.
Interest Level: 8/10
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The co-main event fight is one of the most anticipated fights of 2024. And it’s in large part because it will feature the long-awaited return of Khamzat Chimaev, who hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon in over a year. After storming out of the gates, Chimaev was once thought of as a potential title contender. And while he still has that potential, his aura has somewhat dissipated because he simply hasn’t been very active. He was once a feared challenger that claimed many fighters turned him down. But that reputation, too, may have dwindled a bit because of the same reason. Furthermore, Kamaru Usman — who took the fight on short notice — took him to deep waters before losing a unanimous decision. In Robert Whittaker, however, he faces a true 185-pound fighter with championship pedigree and plenty of time to prepare.
Indeed, “The Reaper” was once the ruler of the Middleweight division before Israel Adesanya came in and took him out. Still, Whittaker hasn’t lost a step despite his two defeats two “The Last Stylebender” and one to Dricus du Plessis. He is currently on a two-fight win streak and is rejuvenated and motivated as ever following his first-round destruction of Ikram Aliskerov this past June, a fight that took place after Chimaev withdrew from his matchup against “Bobby Knuckles.” This is a big fight for both men but more-so for Chimaev — who barely made weight — because this is without a doubt his toughest test to date. With a win he can shoot up to the front of the championship line, which the same can be said for Whittaker.
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Now that Alex Pereira has once again defended his Light Heavyweight title, Magomed Ankalaev has to do his part in order to get his much-desired shot at dethroning “Poatan.” Ankalaev wasn’t too thrilled when he was passed over in favor of Khalil Rountree, but he has to put that behind him and focus on the task at hand, which is Aleksandar Rakic. “Rocket” currently finds himself on a two-fight losing streak, so he needs to get this win just to simply stay afloat. He might not get a title shot with a win, but he will at least get a new lease on his combat life. For Ankalaev, a title shot is very likely based on Dana White’s recent comments, so both men have a lot of pressure coming in for different reasons.
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Shara Magomedov will return for his third fight of 2024 to battle Armen Petrosyan to kick off the PPV main card on ESPN+. “Bullet” is undefeated at 14-0, 3-0 UFC, and defeated Antonio Trócoli via third-round technical knockout (TKO) earlier this year (see it here), and then followed it up with a unanimous decision win over Michał Oleksiejczuk two months later. As for Petrosyan, he is coming off a first-round submission loss at the hands of Rodolfo Vieira earlier this year (see it), so he is out to get back on track while becoming the first man to defeat the man who many feel could be a future title contender. Indeed, if Petrosyan can somehow pull off the upet, his stock will rise in more ways than one. For Magomedov, another win puts him in the Top 15.
Enjoy the fights!
Full UFC 308 Fight Card:
UFC 308 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:
145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
UFC 308 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV: 2:00 p.m. ET
185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
145 lbs.: Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
185 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Armen PetrosyanUFC 308 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+: 10:00 a.m. ET
170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
155 lbs.: Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rębecki
185 lbs.: Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira135 lbs.:Said Nurmagomedovvs.Daniel Santos— CANCELED (details here)
205 lbs.: Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
170 lbs.: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
205 lbs.: Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
185 lbs.: Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
Boxebet will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 308 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 308 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 308: “Topuria vs. Holloway” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 308 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
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