UFC 308 Results: Ilia Topuria KOs Max Holloway to Defend Featherweight Title; Chimaev Finishes Whittaker

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UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria stopped Max Holloway in his first title defence during the headliner of UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway pay-per-view event which took place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday (October 26).

The twelfth numbered event of 2024 delivered one of the most thrilling events as it heralded in the next generation of MMA superstars. Lerone Murphy, Shara Magomedov, Ilbo Aslan and Abus Magomedov announced themselves as future contenders.

Magomed Ankalaev earned the next shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, while Khamzat Chimaev dominated veteran Rob Whittaker to get closer to a middleweight title shot.

In fact, Topuria became the first person to ever knock out Holloway as the first-ever UFC champion from Spain bagged the performance bonus alongside the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Shara Magomedov, who took home an extra USD50K for their stoppage wins on the undercard.

The preliminary card lightweight bout between Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai was awarded the fight of the night as 7 of the 13 fights finished in stoppages and 6 went the distance. Here is the recap from UFC 308:

UFC 308 Recap

In the main event of UFC's 20th visit to Abu Dhabi, featherweight champion Topuria made another statement in his first title defense when he knocked out former champ Holloway in the third round.

It was a beautiful battle of high level strikers who set an incredible pace through two rounds, ensuring the inevitable KO would occur. It came in the third when Topuria unleashed his arsenal on Holloway, and eventually landed a left hand that sent him to the canvas.

Following the title defence, UFC featherweight champion Topuria said, "To be honest, I was expecting him to stop in the middle of the Octagon with me in the first 10 seconds, because I pointed to the ground, I called that shot.

"But he didn't, so I had to change a little bit the game plan... I knew that maybe it would take five. I'm only looking for the finish. And this my mentality during the whole fight. I know how hard I work, I know how many sacrifices I do, and I know what I'm able to do inside that Octagon.

"I didn't see anyone like me right now, at this moment in mixed martial arts, in my level, and specifically in my division. So this why I call the shots, because I know that I'm the best in the world."

Chimaev's first fight in a year was a spectacular one, as he submitted former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in less than four minutes of the co-main event to earn a shot at the UFC Middleweight champion.

Not surprisingly, Chimaev shot in for a takedown early, and then worked to take Whittaker's back on the mat. Whittaker briefly scrambled out of trouble, but Chimaev was right back on him, and after working for a bit, he suddenly locked up a face crank that forced the tap.

After the win, Chimaev said, "I know my wrestling skill is higher than anyone. So, I trust my skills, just went in straight away, took him down, and finished the guy. It feels amazing.

"I thought I would finish him in the later rounds, but it worked out in the first round, so I'm happy. Sometimes somebody hurts to make somebody happy. I didn't want to fight with Rob, but they gave it to me.

"I like to fight the guys who don't like me; it makes me more hungry, more motivated, more angry to finish somebody. Rob is that kind of guy who I look up to, he was a champion when I started to fight. So thanks Rob. It makes me a better fighter today."

In the other featured bout, light heavyweight number one contender Ankalaev outworked Aleksandar Rakic to earn a shot at Alex Pereira's crown in the future. The Russian dominated his opponent across three rounds to earn the points on the judges' scorecard.

Also on the main card, Lerone Murphy dominated Dan Ige to earn a decision win in a featherweight bout after Shara Magomedov stopped Armen Petrosyan via a second-round knockout in a middleweight bout. Here is a look at the full results from UFC 308:

UFC 308 Results

• Featherweight World Championship Bout: Ilia Topuria defeated Max Holloway by knockout at 1:34 of the third round
• Middleweight Bout: Khamzat Chimaev defeated Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) at 3:34 of round one
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Magomed Ankalaev defeated Aleksandar Rakić via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Featherweight Bout: Lerone Murphy defeated Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Middleweight Bout: Shara Magomedov defeated Armen Petrosyan by knockout at 4:52 of the second round
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Ibo Aslan defeated Rafael Cerqueira via TKO (strikes) at :51 of the first round
• Welterweight Bout: Geoff Neal defeated Rafael Dos Anjos via TKO (injury) at 1:30 of the first round
• Lightweight Bout: Mateusz Rebecki defeated Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Middleweight Bout: Abus Magomedov defeated Brunno Ferreira via submission (arm triangle) at 3:14 of round three
• Heavyweight Bout: Kennedy Nzechukwu defeated Chris Barnett via TKO (strikes) at 4:27 of the first round
• Bantamweight Bout: Farid Basharat defeated Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Middleweight Bout: Ismail Naurdiev defeated Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Welterweight Bout: Rinat Fakhretdinov defeated Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)