Ilia Topuria’s already shining star reached a blinding point on Saturday after the reigning featherweight champion became the first man to knock down and knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
Elsewhere on the card, Khamzat Chimaev returned to the scene with a dominant performance against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Chimaev beat down Whittaker in the opening moments and never gave up. He continued to look for submission attempts with his incredible ground control before finally forcing his forearm into Whittaker’s face and eliciting a submission. Whittaker said he thought he dislocated his jaw during the take. The win seemingly puts Chimaev on the fast track to a middleweight title showdown with Dricus du Plessis after years of waiting due to illness and injury.
These are just some of the storylines that caught our attention after a wild night of fighting at the Etihad Arena. Let’s take a closer look at what we learned from UFC 308.
1. Ilia Topuria is the best boxer in the UFC
While that title is a nickname Holloway already gave himself inside the cage during his virtuoso dismantling of Calvin Kattar in 2021, it’s safe to say after Saturday’s main event that Topuria has it eclipse. It’s not just power or speed that makes Topuria such a dangerous puncher. His accuracy is just as sensational, as are his composure and IQ. After a tight and tense first two rounds that can best be described as high-speed misses between two of the best strikers in the game today, Topuria finally broke through with a brilliant straight right hand that stung Holloway in the nose and made him backpedal. . But it was the brutal placement of a perfect left hook shortly after Topuria uncorked from his waist along the cage wall that looped around Holloway’s guard to catch him flush on the chin and knock him down for the first time in his legendary career. Topuria is as precise with his hands as he is devastating. And it looks like that’s going to continue to be a problem for the 145-pound division.
2. There’s simply no way to overstate what Topuria just did
Performance of the year? Fighter of the year? The star of the next generation? And the new pound-for-pound king? Seriously, Topuria’s thrilling knockout of Holloway was so good and so important to the hierarchy of the sport that none of those superlatives above would be out of place if one wanted to add it to the German-born Georgian fighter who now calls Spain his country. beloved and adopted home. Because as incredible as Topuria’s second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski was to commandeer the 145-pound title in February, adding a similar demolition of Holloway in back-to-back fights, in the same calendar year, it’s literally a legend. Although Topuria’s overwhelming confidence dissuaded many fans and critics from opening 2024 as he continued his rise up the featherweight rankings, there really isn’t much negative to say about the 27 years after the way he closed the calendar. year. Yes, Topuria is confident, but he is also humble, hard-working and a completely well-rounded fighter who is poised to help the UFC break into a market like Spain that it has always dreamed of. “El Matador” also attracts European sports celebrities, as evidenced by soccer star Sergio Ramos who celebrates with him inside the cage. It was going to take something truly spectacular from Topuria to try to beat light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the fighter of the year race, given that “Poaton” is coming off three title defenses, all per stop, within a year. UFC record 175 days. But Topuria could have done just that because of what he just did to another pound-for-pound ranked fighter in Holloway.
3. Khamzat Chimaev became an absolute force of nature again at 185 pounds
Looking back, it didn’t seem wrong to wonder if the 30-year-old Chechen was really as good as his hype said he was over the course of 13 professional fights. Injuries, illnesses and a few unexplained events have conspired to slow Chimaev’s momentum in recent years. Not to mention that during fight week, Chimaev looked almost too relaxed – almost to the point of being distracted – going into such a tough fight against Whittaker, the former middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer . But boy, Chimaev did it change things quickly on fight night. After running to the cage from backstage before introductions, Chimaev shot for a takedown in the first 15 seconds and never let Whittaker get back up. Three minutes later, a crank broke Whittaker’s jaw and produces instant faucet. When Chimaev is healthy, there is simply no limit to his true potential. And even though he entered the fight as the No. 13 ranked middleweight after moving up from 170 pounds in 2022, Chimaev proved against Whittaker that it wouldn’t be out of line for him to get the next shot to the title, even though that meant he replaced former champion Sean Strickland to join current king Dricus du Plessis. Make no mistake, Chimaev put all middleweights on notice with the ease with which he destroyed such an all-time great opponent.
4. Enough already, it’s time for Magomed Ankalaev to take his chance against Alex Pereira
Ignored for Pereira’s final 205-pound title shot in place of No. 8-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr., Ankalaev was tasked with not only defeating No. 5 Aleksandr Rakic on Saturday, but the leaders of the UFC added that he had to look exciting in order to secure a title shot. Nearly two years after earning a disappointing draw in his vacant title fight against Jan Blachowicz, it is now time for Ankalaev to get what he already deserves. Anakalev extended his unbeaten streak to 13 fights with a hard-fought decision victory over Rakic in a fight that saw no takedown attempts from Ankalaev and constant movement forward as a striking aggressor . Did Anakalev’s performance live up to the expectations of Dana White and company? According to the UFC CEO during the post-fight press conference, there is a good chance that Ankalaev will be next. He deserves it. Enough said.
5. Sharabutdin Magomedov may not be a finished product, but he’s certainly fun to watch
As a rare UFC fighter from Dagestan, Russia without a dominant wrestling game, it’s been easy for many critics to question how good “Shara Bullet” actually is. And after four undefeated trips to the Octagon, the jury is still out on whether the 30-year-old is truly a future title contender in waiting or not. Whether he succeeds or not, let’s continue to enjoy the ride as the redheaded, bearded attacker puts on some fun fights. On Saturday, he also recorded one of the wildest finishes in UFC history during his second round knockout of Armen Petrosyan as Magomedov’s initial back punch attempt was blocked only for him to instantly attempt the same move with the other shoulder, which caught Petrosyan clean on the chin to end the fight.