ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Champion Ilia Topuria overcame early adversity to score a thunderous third-round knockout victory over Hawaiian Max Holloway to retain the UFC featherweight title at UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena on Saturday, October 26 (Sunday, October 27, Manila time).
The 27-year-old Topuria scored an early takedown but struggled to manage the distance through the first two frames of an intriguing title fight, but once he figured it out, the writing was on the wall for his opponent.
Holloway, who defeated Jose Aldo to become undisputed featherweight champ in June 2017 but lost the belt in December 2019, used his dizzying array of strikes to keep his Georgian-born opponent at bay, but Topuria’s piston-like right hand was a threat throughout.
That right hand was what started Holloway’s demise, but it was a follow-up short left that sent Holloway crashing to the canvas and the Spain-based Topuria quickly followed him to the ground, raining down blows before referee Marc Goddard jumped in to stop the fight.
“With that right hand, I felt it. I just saw it with him, in his face, he started making some steps back, and you don’t see that often with Max,” Topuria said, paying tribute to his opponent as Holloway suffered the first knockout loss of his UFC tenure.
“I hope I’m going to be a small portion of the example he has been for me, for the new generation.”
Topuria became the first fighter to KO Holloway, who has competed for the UFC for 12 years.
“All the praise to Max Holloway,” Topuria said.
Topuria said he doesn’t care who he fights next, whether it’s former champion Alexander Volkanovski or Diego Lopes.
However, Topuria praised Volkanovski for his extensive featherweight title spree.
“If anyone deserves it (the rematch), it’s him,” Topuria said.
Holloway was classy in defeat, reassuring his return to the division.
Khamzat rolls to win No. 14
The co-main event saw Khamzat Chimaev make short work of former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, leading to a first-round face crank to extend his unbeaten run to 14.
Chimaev became the first middleweight to submit Whittaker, who entered the fight as the division’s No. 1 contender.
Clik here to view.
Chimaev clarified his intentions: he should be next for champion Dricus du Plessis.
“Dana (White), what’s wrong with the UFC, man?” Chimaev said, calling out UFC’s CEO during his post-fight interview.
“Give me my belt.”
Per the broadcast, Whittaker suffered a dislocated jaw during the submission’s securement. It was Whittaker’s first loss in over a year, ending his title shot bid for now. The Australian native held the belt from July 2017 to October 2019, defending it once.
The featured fight saw Magomed Ankalaev maintain his No. 1 light heavyweight ranking with an underwhelming unanimous decision against fifth-ranked Aleksandar Rakic. The victory was Ankalaev’s 11th straight, setting up a potential title shot with champion Alex Pereira.
Ankalaev had one message for Pereira, who has defended his title three times this year.
“Alex (Pereira), stop running away from me,” Ankalaev said after the win.
Rakic has lost three straight fights.
Unbeaten Murphy
Featherweights Dan Ige and Lerone Murphy made their case for a “Fight of the Night” bonus, which saw Murphy win by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Ige secured a takedown and dropped Murphy in the closing seconds of the first round. Round 2 saw the opposite, with Murphy finding a takedown and triangle choke attempt.
Ige out-landed Murphy in significant strikes 31-14, while Murphy retained the favor with a 21-11 clip in Round 2.
After several grappling exchanges, Round 3 saw Murphy control the top position before Ige reversed him. Both men briefly returned to their feet before Murphy found Ige’s back with 67 seconds left. Murphy’s exhaustion set in, leading to both men returning to their feet. Strikes followed to close the fight.
Murphy remains undefeated at 15-0-1, while Ige has dropped three out of his last four fights dating back to September 2023.
The main card opened with a double spinning back fist knockout from Sharabutdin Magomedov, who defeated Armen Petrosyan 4:52 into the second round of their middleweight bout.
Magomedov extended his unbeaten record to 15-0 (4-0 UFC). Meanwhile, Petrosyan fell to 9-4, losing two in a row and three out of his last five outings.
The UFC’s schedule turns the page next Saturday to Edmonton for a Fight Night card, kicking off the month of November with four events in five weeks. – Rappler.com