UFC 308

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway
The poster for UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateOctober 26, 2024 (2024-10-26)
VenueEtihad Arena
CityAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
AttendanceNot announced[1]
Total gateNot announced[1]
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 26, 2024, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[2]

Background

The event marked the promotion's 20th visit to Abu Dhabi and first since UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov in August 2024.[2]

A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between current champion Ilia Topuria and former champion Max Holloway headlined the event.[3][4] Diego Lopes served as backup and potential replacement for this fight.[5]

A five-round middleweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev took place at the event.[6] They were previously expected to headline UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov last June, but Chimaev withdrew due to illness.[7]

A heavyweight rematch between former interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane and former Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Alexander Volkov was expected to take place at the event.[8] The pairing previously headlined UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov in June 2021 which Gane won by unanimous decision.[9] However, the bout was moved to UFC 310 due to Volkov's knee injury.[10][11]

A heavyweight bout between Marcos Rogério de Lima and Kennedy Nzechukwu was scheduled for this event.[12] However, Lima withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Justin Tafa.[13] Subsequently, Tafa withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Chris Barnett.[14]

A welterweight bout between Rinat Fakhretdinov and Nursulton Ruziboev was scheduled for this event.[15] However, Ruziboev withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by former LFA Welterweight Champion and promotional newcomer Carlos Leal.[16]

A bantamweight bout between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos was scheduled for this event.[17] However, one week before the event, Santos withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and the bout was subsequently cancelled.[18][19]

At the weigh-ins, a lightweight bout between Mateusz Rębecki and Myktybek Orolbai was changed to a 160 pounds catchweight bout.[20] In addition, at the weigh-ins, the originally contracted bantamweight bout between Farid Basharat and Victor Hugo was changed to a featherweight bout after Hugo weighed in at 145.5 pounds, 9.5 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit; although Basharat weighed in at 137 pounds, he agreed to allow the fight to take place at featherweight.[21]

Results

Main card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Featherweight Ilia Topuria (c) def. Max Holloway KO (punches) 3 1:34 [a]
Middleweight Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker Submission (face crank) 1 3:34
Light Heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakić Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Middleweight Sharabutdin Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan KO (spinning backfists) 2 4:52
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Light Heavyweight Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira TKO (punches) 1 0:51
Welterweight Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos TKO (knee injury) 1 1:30
Catchweight (160 lb) Mateusz Rębecki def. Myktybek Orolbai Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Middleweight Abusupiyan Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira Submission (arm-triangle choke) 3 3:14
Heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett TKO (knee to the body and punches) 1 4:27
Featherweight Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Middleweight Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) 3 5:00
Welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) 3 5:00
  1. ^ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.

[22]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[23]

  • Fight of the Night: Mateusz Rębecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai
  • Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria, Khamzat Chimaev and Sharabutdin Magomedov

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Mike Bohn (2024-10-27). "UFC 308 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria brings Max Holloway's record run without being KO'd to screeching halt". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  2. ^ a b Alexander K. Lee (2024-04-12). "UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi announced for Oct. 26". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  3. ^ Irati Prat (2024-07-30). "Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway meet in Abu Dhabi on October 26". marca.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30. (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Josh Evanoff (2024-08-03). "Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway title fight headlines UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  5. ^ Jed Meshew (2024-09-27). "Diego Lopes to serve as backup fighter for UFC 308 title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  6. ^ Mike Bohn (2024-08-03). "UFC books Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker again for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  7. ^ Mike Bohn (2024-06-13). "Khamzat Chimaev out; Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov set as new UFC on ABC 6 headliner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  8. ^ Diego Ribas (2024-07-12). "UFC books Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov to Abu Dhabi card in October". agfight.com. Retrieved 2024-07-12. (in Spanish)
  9. ^ Marc Raimondi (2024-06-13). "Ciryl Gane defeats Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision, says he's 'ready' for shot at heavyweight belt". espn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  10. ^ Staff (2024-09-22). "Report: Alexander Volkov injury pushes Ciryl Gane rematch from UFC 308 to UFC 310". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  11. ^ Tristen Critchfield (2024-09-24). "Alexander Volkov Suffers Knee Injury, Withdraws from UFC 308 Rematch vs. Ciryl Gane". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  12. ^ Sayan Nag (2024-08-03). "Marcos Rogerio de Lima to Face Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308 on Oct. 26". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  13. ^ Christopher Reive (2024-09-12). "UFC 308: Justin Tafa books UFC return against Kennedy Nzechukwu in Abu Dhabi". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  14. ^ Staff (2024-10-12). "Chris Barnett Gets New Booking, Faces Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  15. ^ Drake Riggs (2024-07-24). "Morning Report: Kamaru Usman targets winner of UFC 304 main event: 'I still got tread left in these tires' - Fight Announcements". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  16. ^ Tristen Critchfield (2024-10-20). "PFL Veteran Carlos Leal Steps in to Face Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  17. ^ Tristen Critchfield (2024-09-18). "UFC 308 Update: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos Set for Abu Dhabi". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  18. ^ Mathew Riddle (2024-10-21). "UFC 308 Report: Top Prospect Pulled from Undercard". si.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  19. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2024-10-23). "Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos officially off UFC 308". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  20. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2024-10-25). "UFC 308 weigh-in results: Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway on point, Khamzat Chimaev cuts it close". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  21. ^ Jesse Holland (2024-10-25). "WTF?! UFC 308 fighter heavy by double digits, opponent forced to change weight classes to keep bout intact". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  22. ^ "UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  23. ^ Chris Taylor (2024-10-26). "UFC 308 Bonus Report: Ilia Topuria one of five fighters to take home an extra $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-26.