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The Ultimate Fighting Championship looks to have yet another full-fledged European superstar on its hands at 145 pounds.

Ilia Topuria brought down Max Holloway with punches in the third round of their UFC 308 headliner, as he retained his undisputed featherweight championship on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Stopped by strikes for the first time in his 34-fight career, Holloway (26-8, 22-8 UFC) met his end 1:34 into Round 3.

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Topuria (16-0, 8-0 UFC) broke down the Hawaiian with leg kicks and right hands over the top. Holloway answered with his patented jab, doing all he could to keep the champion at bay with his superior length. It worked for a time. Topuria cracked him with a right hook in the third round and flurried with body-head combinations. A sweeping left hook sent Holloway crashing to the canvas in a semi-conscious heap before the Spaniard closed it out with short punches and hammerfists.

Meanwhile, Allstars …

Sherdog's live UFC 308 coverage will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now! BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fakhretdinov (-278), Leal Miranda (+225)Round 1 Welcome fight fans one and all to an early morning blitz of combat, with a baker’s dozen matchups from featherweight to heavyweight—and not a women’s bout on the billing, with the event taking place in the United Arab Emirates. The first pairing of the day, one that will serve like a cup of coffee to get started, takes place in the welterweight division. Originally planning on facing Nursulton Ruziboev, Fakhretdinov (22-1-1, 4-0-1 UFC) will instead welcome Leal (21-5, 0-0 UFC) to the UFC on short notice. The Brazilian is no stranger to large stages, having spent a few seasons in the confines of the Professional Fighters League with Sadibou Sy lording over him. The fighters will be joined in the cage by referee Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, who clocks them i…

Geoff Neal probably left the cage with a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

The Fortis MMA mainstay kept his place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight line, as he was awarded a technical knockout over Rafael dos Anjos after the grizzled Brazilian veteran suffered a knee injury in the first round of their featured UFC 308 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Referee Mark Smith waved it off 1:30 into Round 1, with dos Anos (32-18, 21-15) clutching at his left leg on his 40th birthday.

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Neal (16-6, 8-4 UFC) was the aggressor from the start. He dropped the Nova Uniao star with a crisp one-two and even delivered a surprise takedown, though he chose to disengage and stand on both occasions. Soon after, another left hand clanged off the side of dos Anjos’ head, his knee buckling beneath him in an anticlimactic fight-ending sequence. Meanwhile, former Vendetta Fight Nights champion Ibo Aslan dispatched previous…

Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai were rewarded for painting the canvas red at UFC 308.

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Rebecki and Orolbai engaged in a bloody battle in their 160-pound catchweight affair, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, earning “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece. Rebecki landed heavy shots early, causing serious swelling under his opponent’s eye in the opening stanza. Orolbai kept coming, however, even after being dropped and nearly finished in the final stanza. Ultimately, Rebecki emerged with a hard-fought split decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Ilia Topuria padded his bank account with a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to his third-round knockout of Max Holloway in the featherweight main event. By putting the durable Hawaiian away at the 1:34 mark of Round 3, “El Matador” became the first person to stop Holloway with strikes in his 34-fight professional tenure.

Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev garnered a $50,000 “Performanc…

Francis Ngannou went OFF on Dana White after his recent comments about his fight against Renan Ferreira 😳

"Dana has lost in this situation... and he cannot stand it. Bro I won everything...

I think the problem is he can't handle this loss. I'm sure he's been praying for my… pic.twitter.com/ec1avI8jhE — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 26, 2024

Francis Ngannou recently went off on Dana White in response to the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO’s recent comments.

Ngannou exited the UFC in January 2023 over failed contract negotiations. “The Predator” had certain demands, including the freedom to compete in boxing simultaneously, health insurance for fighters and other stipulations to which the UFC didn’t agree.

Ngannou joined the Professional Fighters League soon after and was also made the chairman of PFL Africa. Ngannou made his promotional debut against 2023 heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira at PFL “Battle of the Gian…

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Gleison Tibau believes former foe Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

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Nurmagomedov faced Tibau in his sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship outing back in 2012 while the Brazilian was arguably in his prime. A 24-year-old “Eagle” faced one of the toughest tests of his life against Tibau, failing to land a single takedown in 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Tibau landed a takedown on Nurmagomedov and also slightly outstruck him on the feet. However, the undefeated Dagestani prospect went on to earn a controversial unanimous decision win, which many believe should have gone the other way.

Tibau recorded wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Francisco Trinaldo and Jeremy Stephens over the course of a UFC career that spanned more than a decade. He alternated between wins and losses after his setback against Nurmagomedov and parted ways with the promotion in 2018 on the back of a four-fight slump — which included …

Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0) claims his expected UFC Tampa clash against Yadong Song (21-8) is off.

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Nurmagomedov was reportedly close to finalizing a headlining clash against Song at UFC Tampa in December. However, the Dagestani recently said that the booking has fallen through as Song is injured.

Nurmagomedov remains adamant on competing in December or at least before Ramadan, which begins in February 2025. Nurmagomedov was initially rallying for a gold bid against Merab Dvalishvili, who dethroned Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 this past September. However, Dvalishvili has consistently downplayed Nurmagomedov’s claim to a title shot and prefers a rematch against “Suga.” The bantamweight champ recently lost his cool during a Q&A session when a fan asked him if he’s scared to face Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov also responded to Dvalishvili while announcing the cancelation of his booking against Yadong.

“I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for…

[embedded content] UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title will be on the line when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi.

Main eventers Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway both successfully made weight during the UFC 308 weigh-ins. As did the rest of the card, which includes a highly-anticipated fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker at middleweight. The event will officially move forward with 13 fights in total.

Topuria (15-0) will put both his undefeated record and featherweight championship on the line. "El Matador" is a perfect 7-0 inside the Octagon and is coming off a stunning knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski to claim the belt. The 27-year-old also holds wins over Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell and Ryan Hall. Topuria weighed 145 pounds on the dot for his second pay-per-view main event.

Meanwhile, Holloway (26-7) will be looking to reclaim the belt …

UFC 308 is down to 13 fights.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion on Wednesday announced that a bantamweight clash between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos has been canceled. A specific reason was not given, as a statement revealed that Santos “has been removed” from the fight. Nurmagomedov will not remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt pitting Ilia Topuria against Max Holloway. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The prelims, which were to include Nurmagomedov vs. Santos, begin at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

After losing his promotional debut, Santos has rebounded to earn back-to-back triumphs over John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz Jr. in UFC competition. Santos also withdrew from a proposed clash against Daniel Marcos last November.

"Three years... three belts" 😮‍💨@TopuriaIlia has big plans for the next three years!#UFC308 | Oct 26, 5PM | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office ➡️ https://t.co/uXQAMHNTBd pic.twitter.com/h8S8uRAWr4

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 22, 2024

Ilia Topuria took yet another dig at Belal Muhammad while expressing triple champ aspirations.

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Topuria is set to defend his featherweight title for the first time against Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “El Matador” recently revealed that his ultimate goal is to become a three-division champ.

“Probably a three-weight world champion, this is my goal,” Topuria recently told TNT Sports. You’re not going to see me in the welterweight division like this, skinny. You’re going to see me different. That’s the goal. Move up to the lightweight division, get that belt, then move up to the welterweight division.”

UFC 308: Topuria vs. …

Sharabutdin Magomedov believes Alex Pereira’s style is nothing extraordinary.

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Magomedov’s coach, Gor Azizyan, recently faced some backlash for calling “Shara Bullet” more exciting than Pereira. According to Azizyan, Magomedov has a more versatile striking game than the light heavyweight champ. Azizyan also said that Pereira’s nationality has also played a part in his rapid rise to stardom.

"If we're being fair, Shara is more exciting than Alex Pereira,” Azizyan told Red Corner MMA. “Shara’s striking is more dynamic. Alex Pereira doesn't have that technique — knees, elbows, heels, hands, low kicks, high kicks, and the frequency. Shara can land 60 low kicks, 30 middle and 10 high kicks in one fight… We haven’t seen that from Alex Pereira. He’s closer to America, he’s Brazilian. It’s easy to promote a Brazilian.”

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Pereira recently secured his third successful 205-pound title d…

As the backup fighter for the UFC 308 main event, Diego Lopes really wants the original fight to stay intact.

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Max Holloway (26-6) challenges Ilia Topuria (15-0) for the featherweight title in the main event at UFC 308 this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Because he is the backup fighter, Lopes could have a shot at the title if he has to step in for someone — but the Brazilian is so excited for the fight that he hopes he doesn’t have to replace anyone. However, if needed, Lopes is in perfect shape and willing to serve his duties as the replacement.

“I’m so excited to watch the fight,” Lopes told MMAjunkie.com. “I hope that Friday morning everything [is] OK. The guys stay healthy for their fight Saturday night… I hope this but if they say they need me, I’m waiting… [My] weight is good, every time I have no problem for the weight.”

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Topuria defeated Alexander Volkan…

😳🤒Aleksandar Rakić's coach reveals Rakíc was on antibiotics when he lost to Jiří Procházka at UFC 300 and believes Rakíc is the only fighter that can beat Alex Pereira:

"At UFC 300 he fought Jiří Procházka on antibiotics...second round when he was sitting on stool he told me… pic.twitter.com/mUimzox1qK

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 22, 2024

Aleksandar Rakic coach Babak Nejadmoghaddam claims the Austrian wasn’t his 100% for his last fight.

Rakic suffered a second-round technical knockout loss against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300 this past April. While Rakic had already compromised Prochazka’s movement with leg kicks in the first round, “BJP” came from behind to score the TKO in the second stanza. Nejadmoghaddam revealed that Rakic was on antibiotics going into UFC 300. According to his coach, it was Rakic who said that he couldn’t feel his legs when he returned to his corner in between rounds.

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway …

CUNG LE VS ZUFFA IS OVER🚨

LIVE FROM THE COURTHOUSE

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Judge Boulware grants preliminary approval in the HISTORIC $375 million Le v ZUFFA antitrust lawsuit

BIG TIME BLOW LANDED BY UFC VETS👊🏼#ufc #mma pic.twitter.com/rROqcAN1hK

— “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (@FilthyTomLawlor) October 22, 2024 A Nevada judge has temporarily approved a settlement agreement in the UFC antitrust lawsuit.

On Tuesday, Judge Richard Boulware approved a settlement plan where the UFC agreed to pay $375 million to the plaintiffs to settle the lawsuit, which was initially filed in 2014 by a group of fighters that included the likes of Cung Le and Nate Quarry. The UFC’s former parent company, Zuffa, was initially accused of engaging in a scheme "to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services” by purchasing rival organizations and limiting earnings by binding fighters to exclusive contracts.

Accordin…

After winning 15 of his last 17 professional bouts, Carlos Leal Miranda will finally achieve his goal of fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The Brazilian will step up on short notice to face Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. What makes the situation more interesting is how someone who hadn’t fought in the UFC and lives in Curitiba, Brazil, was able to accept such a call from the promotion on the week of the fight. The foundation for the move was laid in August 2023.

After losing to Sadibou Sy via decision in a second consecutive Professional Fighters League semifinal, Leal decided that it was time to leave PFL and try to achieve his goal of fighting in UFC.

“When I entered the PFL my goal was to be a champion. In the first season I got really close and decided to try once again. When I lost the second time, me and my team decided it was time to leave,” Leal said.

While things didn’t work out as planned in …

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Even if he reclaims UFC featherweight gold on Saturday, Max Holloway might not be done in the lightweight division.

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Holloway will challenge reigning champion Ilia Topuria for the 145-pound title in the UFC 308 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. That fight comes on the heels of a successful venture to 155 pounds, where he knocked out Justin Gaethje to capture the BMF belt at UFC 300 this past April. Gaethje was regarded as one of the top title contenders at lightweight before that defeat, which has Holloway thinking about a potential matchup with current divisional kingpin Islam Makhachev. In 2018, “Blessed” was scheduled to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title clash at UFC 223 before his weight cut was determined to be unsafe by the New York State Athletic Commission.

“You’ve got to do great things,” Holloway recently told Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel. “We had that fight booked with Khabib a while bac…

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According to Dana White, there is one bad thing about the highly-anticipated featherweight championship clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.

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“This Topuria-Holloway fight is terrible because when you like both guys and they actually have to go in there, and somebody has to lose – it sucks,” White recently said on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast.

“Max Holloway is one of the greatest ever to do it and just one of the nicest dudes, he has the BMF belt, and he is a BMF. Topuria has been an absolute rockstar. It’s gonna be a fun fight. I hate to see somebody lose that fight.”

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

Topuria will defend his featherweight crown against Holloway in the UFC 308 headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Topuria is unbeaten in 15 professional bouts and is coming off a second-round stoppage of Alexander Volkanovski to claim featherweight gold at UFC 298…

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Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, had some elite corner advice for him in his UFC featherweight title win.

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Ilia defeated Alexander Volkanovski via second-round knockout at UFC 298 this past February to be crowned the featherweight champ. The Georgian-Spaniard is set to defend his title for the first time against Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Leading up to the fight, Topuria revealed how his brother helped him in his win over “The Great.”

Once Ilia returned to his corner after the first round, Aleksandre pointed out that Volkanovski’s left arm doesn’t stay on guard. Aleksandre also advised Ilia to add pressure when Volkanovski moved toward him once the second round started.

“His left arm is set quite low. He puts his left arm here. Once you start, cut his distance a bit if it is possible,” Ilia said via translation in the UFC 308 Countdown video. “Continue w…

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Kamaru Usman believes Khamzat Chimaev will beat Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.

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Chimaev and Whittaker will clash in a high-caliber middleweight bout in the co-main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While Chimaev has opened as a betting favorite, many consider it a pick ‘em matchup.

Usman, who has previously shared the Octagon with Chimaev, favous the Chechen-born Swede over Whittaker. Whittaker and Chimaev were originally scheduled to fight at UFC Saudi Arabia in June, but “Borz” was forced to pull out due to illness. Whittaker went on to score a first-round finish over highly-touted debutant Ikram Aliskerov, whose only other career loss came against Chimaev on the regional circuit. While Usman acknowledged Whittaker’s elite skillset, “The Nigerian Nightmare” feels Chimaev is just gifted. Although Whittaker boasts strong anti-grappling abilities at middleweight, Usman believes Chimaev will be able to imp…

Ilia Topuria shows respect to Khabib, but goes IN on his cousins/teammates 😳

"One thing I respect about Khabib, the guy is super respectful... I mentioned Islam, and all the cousins come out.

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They've never knocked anyone out, they get caught using steroids, they're super… pic.twitter.com/Bxmm77AEG0 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 21, 2024

Ilia Topuria doesn’t have the same respect for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates as he does for “The Eagle.”

Topuria is slated to defend his featherweight title against Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. If he defends his strap successfully, “El Matador” has expressed interest in challenging lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, leading to a war of words with the Dagestani contingent.

Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Tagir Ulanbekov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov all teamed up to throw online barbs at Topuria. The beef …

Muhammad Mokaev’s strained relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship isn’t getting any better.

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Mokaev and Raul Rosas Jr. were scheduled to meet in a catchweight submission grappling bout in the main event at ADXC 6 on Friday at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. However, the fight was canceled soon after it was announced, which the promotion blamed on “unforeseen circumstances.”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, [Muhammad Mokaev] vs [Raul Rosas Jr.]has been cancelled as the ADXC6 main event! The show must go on,” ADXC wrote in a statement. “Stay tuned for a new grappling main event to be announced soon!.”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Muhammad Mokaev vs Raul Rosas Jr has been cancelled as the #ADXC6 Main Event! The show must go ON 🔥 Stay tuned for a new Grappling Main Event to be announced soon! 👀#ADXC6 #JiuJitsu #Grappling #AbuDhabi #MubadalaArena pic.twitter.com/4KXq3aTaK6

— ADXC_official (@adxc_o…

Tatiana Suarez’s path to Ultimate Fighting Championship gold has hit another roadblock.

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The strawweight contender has reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from MMA Melotto. It is currently unknown if Jandiroba will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

Suarez and Janiroba were previously booked to square off in August 2023 before the Brazilian suffered a knee injury and pulled out of the fight. Suarez would remain on the UFC on ESPN 50 card, where she submitted ex-strawweight queen Jessica Andrade in the second round of their encounter. The 33-year-old Milennia MMA representative was supposed to return to action against Amanda Lemos at UFC 298 in February, but Suarez withdrew from that contest due to what she described as a “minor setback.”

When healthy, Suarez i…

The BMF title will not be on the line at UFC 308, but Ilia Topuria believes he can have a negative impact on its relevance.

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Topuria will defend his featherweight crown against former champ Max Holloway in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. After going 0-3 in 145-pound title bouts against Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway was on the outside looking in when it came to the featherweight title picture. However, that changed when Topuria defeated Volkanovski to become the new featherweight king at UFC 298.

Meanwhile, Holloway moved up to 155 pounds at UFC 300, where he captured the BMF belt with an iconic fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje. Topuria has since stated that Holloway was reluctant to accept a championship fight at 145 pounds, and he reiterated that claim in a recent interview with CBS Sports.

"After he knocked out Justin Gaethje, I asked about Max Holloway," Topuria said. "Before that fight, I thought of giving the rema…

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Khamzat Chimaev has taken some heat for his lack of activity in recent years.

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After emerging as one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s hottest prospects in 2020, Chimaev’s ascent has slowed somewhat. He fought just once in 2023 and will make his first appearance this year when he meets Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

“Borz” was supposed to face Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22, but the Chechen-born Swede was forced to pull out of the event after become “violently ill” a little more than a week before the fight. According to Chimaev, his exit occurred due to circumstances beyond his control.

“We were in training camp. The first month was very good,” Chimaev said on the UFC Countdown show. “The last three weeks, my immunity goes down. I don’t know what happened. All the guys ate the same food, [but] only [I] got sick.UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2…