Ilia Topuria delivered a career-defining knockout, stopping Max Holloway in the third round at UFC 308. Known for his resilience, Holloway was stunned by Topuria’s pinpoint straight right, followed by a left hook that dropped him cold. Topuria’s ground-and-pound sealed the finish, marking the first time Holloway has been knocked out. With both Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway defeated, Topuria solidified his dominance in the featherweight division. Fans anticipate a potential title defence against Diego Lopes or a Volkanovski rematch, but Topuria’s power, timing, and accuracy seem unmatched. And still!
Khamzat Chimaev, wow. Just wow. He delivered an astonishing performance against Robert Whittaker, securing a first-round submission after quickly establishing control on the ground. Chimaev’s relentless pressure kept Whittaker on the defensive, and he eventually forced the former champion to tap by dislocating his jaw. Chimaev’s dominance strengthens his case for a title shot, taking only a single leg kick during the bout, potentially leapfrogging Sean Strickland for a chance at the middleweight belt. This win solidifies him as a top contender deserving of a championship opportunity.
The main card at UFC 308 opened with an electrifying performance from rising star undefeated Shara Magomedov against Armen Petrosyan. Magomedov secured a spectacular win with a rare double-spinning back fist KO in the second round. Following the fight, Magomedov expressed his interest in challenging former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, which many fans believe could be a thrilling matchup between elite strikers. Though Adesanya will likely face Nassourdine Imavov next, Magomedov’s victory has positioned him as a top contender deserving of a high-profile test in the division.
Another undefeated prospect, Lerone Murphy, preserved his perfect record by defeating Dan Ige via unanimous decision at UFC 308. Despite a challenging start—getting knocked down by a left hook in the final minute of the first round—Murphy rebounded effectively. He utilised superior grappling to dominate rounds two and three, ultimately securing a 29-28 score across the board. After the win, the Manchester-born fighter called out veteran Josh Emmett as he aims to solidify his place in the top ten of the featherweight division.
Magomed Ankalaev strengthened his case as the top contender in the light heavyweight division with a decisive unanimous decision victory over Aleksander Rakic. With this win, Ankalaev appears primed for a title shot against reigning champion Alex Pereira, who has already defeated most of the division’s top contenders. While this victory further cements Ankalaev’s position, fans are waiting to see if UFC President Dana White will confirm his title opportunity, especially given that Pereira’s recent defence was against Khalil Rountree, ranked lower than Ankalaev.
Prelims
The preliminary bouts commenced with Rinat Fakhretdinov taking on Brazil’s Carlos Leal. Leal demonstrated clear superiority in striking, consistently outmatching his Russian opponent throughout three rounds and successfully defending 17 out of 19 takedown attempts. Despite Leal’s evident control on the feet, the judges awarded the fight to Fakhretdinov, scoring it 29-28 twice and 30-27 once. This decision sparked a significant backlash among fans online. Many expressed discontent with the scoring outcome, which ruined a great fight. Even commentator Jon Anik said he’d Venmo Leal after the poor decision.
In the night’s second fight, Ismail Naurdiev dominated a laboured Bruno Silva across three rounds. He used pace and pressure to outstrike Silva, who couldn’t find any momentum across the three rounds. Naurdiev proved he was UFC quality in his first UFC fight since 2020 after the Morrocan was cut following a loss to Sean Brady. It’ll be interesting to see who he faces next and if he can go from strength to strength following this impressive performance.
What followed was a fight between Victor Hugo, who weighed 145 lbs and 10 lbs over the limit, and Farid Basharat. Despite the weight discrepancy, the undefeated Afghan-born English fighter could win by using brilliant counterstriking in rounds one and two and then wrestling to seal the win in round three on two of the three scorecards.
The first finish of the night followed as Kennedy Nzechukwu, making his heavyweight debut on short notice, TKO’d Chris Barnett with a knee to the body followed by strikes. What led to the finish was an Achilles injury that actually started before the fight began. As Bruce Buffer introduced Barnett, he jumped and landed awkwardly on his Achilles, which had been injured before the fight. Barnett reaggravated the injury after throwing his patented wheel kick, further restricting his movement, leading the Nigerian to break the American down for the finish.
One finish led to another as two exciting Middlweights went head to head in a great fight. Abus Magomedov and Bruno Ferreira went back and forth for two and a half rounds before a brilliant double leg takedown into mount and a slick arm triangle led to a submission win after both men split the first couple of rounds. Abus has recovered well following his losses to Sean Strickland and Caio Borralho. It’ll be interesting to see who the matchmakers give him next.
The clash between Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai elevated the energy at UFC 308 with a ferocious three-round battle. Both fighters showcased incredible resilience, especially after Orolbai’s eye swelled shut in the first round. A head clash in the second caused a severe cut above Rebecki’s eye, while the third round saw Orolbai narrowly survive a powerful knockdown. Despite that, he ended the round on top, nearly finishing Rebecki, who couldn’t even lift his hands to throw or defend punches. After an intense exchange throughout, Rebecki emerged victorious by split decision, making this fight a highlight of the night for many fans.
#10 ranked welterweight Geoff Neal was putting on a clinic against former Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos before RDA suffered a knee injury. Neal had already scored two knockdowns and looked dominant. It’s not the best 40th birthday for the Brazilian, who may retire after another knee injury hampering the tail-end of his MMA career.
To finish the exciting prelims, Ibo Aslan got the job done early with a barrage of strikes in the first round following a left hook that landed clean on the previously undefeated Raffael Cerquiera. It only took the Turk 51 seconds to finish the job.
Overall a great card, Jones vs Miocic is next!
TheWrestlingFallacy 
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