Ilia Topuria retained the UFC featherweight title for the first time Saturday, defeating Max Holloway via third-round knockout in the UFC 308 main event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In the co-headliner, Khamzat Chimaev stated his case for the next middleweight title shot by demolishing Robert Whittaker with a submission in the first round.
Here are five takeaways from the pay-per-view event.
Topuria could be at the top of 145 pounds for a long time
As things stand in the featherweight division, there’s Ilia Topuria, and then there’s everyone else.
Topuria widened the gap between him and his peers with a stunning victory over Holloway in which he became the first to ever knock out the former champion in an MMA cage. Holloway had his moments, but Topuria remained persistent in walking Holloway down and eventually landed the kill shot he has become known for.
Many considered Holloway the biggest threat to Topuria’s title, and Topuria passed this latest test with flying colors. The question now more than ever is, who can beat him?
At 145 pounds, quite possibly nobody. Topuria is a well-rounded fighter, with a devastating stand-up game and a strong grappling base. There are no obvious holes in his skill set. A rematch with Volkanovski likely ends similarly to the first fight. It’s hard to call Diego Lopes the guy to beat Topuria, despite how impressive Lopes has looked as of late. Maybe Movsar Evloev could get it done, but even Evloev hasn’t proven he has what it takes.
Topuria has the kind of style where he will lose once his speed, reflexes, chin, and killer instincts diminish – perhaps in dramatic fashion. But the Spaniard is only 27 years old. He has barely entered his physical prime. He is just getting started, and time is on his side.
Toppling Topuria from the throne – now and in the distant future – will be a tall order for the rest of the featherweight division.
Yup, Chimaev is that guy
This was the performance we’d been waiting to see from Chimaev for what felt like forever.
Chimaev faced a lot of scrutiny over the last two years. He dealt with health and weight issues, pulled out of fights, and struggled in the second half of his matchup with Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 last October. There was some doubt that Chimaev would be the dominant fighter we expected to see – and did see for a while – when he arrived onto the UFC scene in 2020.
But it’s fair to say that Chimaev has “re-arrived” after running through Whittaker with one of the most violent submissions in recent memory.
This was Chimaev’s first victory against a ranked middleweight – Whittaker was No. 3 – leaving no doubt that he is, in fact, one of the best in the division. We’d seen Chimaev bulldoze people before, but not a fighter as accomplished or skilled as Whittaker. Chimaev leaving the former middleweight champion on the canvas in a state of hurt and confusion in under four minutes is so impressive it’s hard to comprehend. This was a statement from Chimaev. This was him telling all of those doubters to sit down.
Chimaev should be the next challenger for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis, and he would be favored in that matchup. UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland a rematch with Du Plessis, but the promotion would be silly not to pivot and throw Chimaev into a title fight next. After this performance, Chimaev will get back all of the hype he lost over the last two years and then some. Du Plessis-Chimaev is the fight.
Holloway should come back as a lightweight
Before he even thinks about his next move, Holloway needs to take some time off and rest his brain. He said at the postfight press conference that he plans to sit out until summer 2025, and that’s a smart call. It’s good to see Holloway prioritizing his health after his first knockout loss.
But when the Hawaiian is ready to return to the Octagon, it should be at 155 pounds.
Holloway won’t find himself in there again with Topuria anytime soon. Sure, a rematch down the road isn’t completely out of the question – he’s worked his way back to a title shot before, and the UFC would likely have no problem with it considering Holloway is one of the sport’s most popular fighters. But it would take a couple wins, and even if Holloway did earn a crack at Topuria, it would probably go the same way.
At lightweight, there are more opportunities. Holloway is ranked in that division – at No. 5 – thanks to his UFC 300 win over Justin Gaethje earlier this year. He’d have some fresh matchups, he wouldn’t have to cut as much weight, and he has a clearer path to the title.
This isn’t to suggest Holloway has a good chance of dethroning champ Islam Makhachev – because almost no one does – but he might as well change things up.
Ankalaev has to be next for Pereira
It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but Magomed Ankalaev took care of business against Aleksandar Rakic in what should be his final fight before challenging Alex Pereira for the title.
Ankalaev, who has gone 13 consecutive fights without a loss, should have already been booked to face Pereira by now, but it’s better late than never. The truth is that the UFC hasn’t rushed to make a Pereira-Ankalaev fight because it’s not a blockbuster and it’s a risky matchup for the champion. But it’s the test that both men need right now.
To Ankalaev’s relief, White said after the event that the Dagestani has done enough to secure the next title shot. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it’s nice to at least see White recognize Ankalaev for what he is – the rightful No. 1 contender.
Robbery of the year?
When Bruce Buffer read out 30-27 after two 29-28s, I thought that all but confirmed the judges had gotten it right and were giving the win to Carlos Leal.
And then Buffer said Rinat Fakhretdinov’s name.
Despite the stats being close in UFC 308’s opening fight, Leal controlled the majority of the action, landing heavy punches and low kicks, and looked impressive overall in his short-notice debut. Giving two rounds to Fakhretdinov is a somewhat fair scorecard but still a stretch. Giving all three to him is simply indefensible.
This was one of the worst decisions of 2024 and might be the new gold standard for what a robbery looks like in MMA.
