Tag: Max Holloway

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Max Holloway after UFC 308 knockout loss?

Max Holloway admits his time at featherweight is likely over after his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, so what’s next?

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Ilia Topuria after UFC 308 title defense?)

A sight many people thought they would never see happened in the UFC 308 main event when [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] was knocked out for the first time in MMA against Ilia Topuria.

Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) failed to recapture the featherweight title from Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, when he was stopped by third-round knockout.

After the fight, Holloway displayed pure class and addressed the media about his fighting future. He hinted that a full-time move to lightweight could be on the horizon, and he is still officially in ownership of the BMF belt.

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What is the correct next move for Holloway? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC 308.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

UFC 308 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ilia Topuria’s $42,000 leads card

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway combined for $74,000 of the Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for UFC 308.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 308 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $252,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 308 took place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+

The full UFC 308 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Cerqueira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,896,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,633,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Max Holloway promises UFC 308 loss to Ilia Topuria ‘not a funeral’, teases next move

Despite losing at UFC 308, Max Holloway addressed the media about Ilia Topuria’s knockout and what his next move might be.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] lost by knockout for the first time in his career Saturday at UFC 308, but in no way did it change his typical way of handling defeats with grace.

Shortly after his third-round defeat to Ilia Topuria, Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) took the podium backstage at Etihad Arena to field questions from reporters. As Holloway spoke, it seemed he’d already separated the emotion of the moment from his analysis.

“I felt great. I was finding my groove,” Holloway told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “You saw on the scoreboards after, I was kind of surprised. I thought I had at least one of them. In the first round, I know he took me down. Then at the ending he had that takedown. It is what it is. It felt good showing off my hands. I was landing. I was moving fast. I think I had him surprised in there. Like I said, I was doing well until I wasn’t. … Game of inches, man. Game of inches. He landed something that I found myself looking at him, up from the ground. It is what it is.”

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Holloway said his weight cut was one of his best at featherweight, but a shift to lightweight might still be in order. The failed title bid Saturday was his fourth featherweight title fight loss in a row. Holloway is allured by the clearer paths to gold, fresher matchups, and lesser weight cut at 155 pounds.

“We’re all going to sit down with the team, relax. There’s nothing needed to be rushing back to right now. But I can try coming back in the summer, the big July card, right, in Vegas? Do something. We’ll see what happens. I mean, 155 looks really good right now. … Like I said, I had the best 145 cut here. But what else is there to do? I had a couple times to reclaim it. New guys coming up. Yeah, that’d be fun. But I think 155 looks more fun, fighting more, the caliber, everyone there, and the names there, it looks really exciting to put my name in the mix.”

After all the questions had been asked, Holloway thanked media members in the room – and also took it upon himself to leave them with one last parting message.

“You guys are going to see me back,” Holloway said. “It’s not a funeral. I promise.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

UFC 308 results: Ilia Topuria becomes first to knock out Max Holloway, open to granting Volkanovski rematch

Ilia Topuria delivered on his promise of taking out Max Holloway at UFC 308.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] delivered on his promise of taking out [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 308.

Featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first fighter to knock out Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) when he put his lights out at the 1:34 mark of Round 3. The featherweight title bout was the UFC 308 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Just like Topuria promised, he pointed to the ground in the middle of the octagon, but Holloway didn’t oblige. Holloway started his attack with a couple of kicks, as Topuria stalked him. Topuria landed a big combination, finding Holloway’s chin with a left hook. Topuria then mixed things up by taking Holloway down, but couldn’t keep him there. Topuria connected with a right, as he continued to head hunt. Holloway landed a nice teep, followed by a one-two down the middle. With seconds remaining in the round, Topuria dropped Holloway with a left hook and tried to take his back.

In Round 2, Holloway pumped out his jab, while Topuria lunged forward with combinations. Topuria continued to find Holloway’s chin, but Holloway would turn away from his punches without allowing him to connect clean. Holloway landed two counter left hooks, followed by a big right. Both men were having success on the feet, but neither able to stun the other. Holloway capped off Round 2 with his signature spinning heel kick to the body.

Holloway started Round 3 off with a body kick, then a push kick to the thigh. Topuria landed a nice left hook, but Holloway stumbled him with a leg kick. Topuria charged at Holloway with a big overhand right which stunned him, then a left hook which sent him crashing to the canvas. A few follow up shots were able to put Holloway out cold.

Topuria was greeted by Alexander Volkanovski in the octagon – the man he knocked out to claim the featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria paid Volkanovski respect, and said he’s willing to grant him a rematch.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 308 results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway at UFC 308: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Ilia Topuria’s third-round knockout win over Max Holloway at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s third-round knockout win over [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, special to MMA Junkie; MMA Junkie; UFC)

UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 308 odds between Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round featherweight championship bout in the main event, Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway meet Saturday at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 2 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.

Records: Topuria (15-0-0) | Holloway (26-7-0)

Topuria puts his strap on the line for the 1st time after claiming the featherweight championship against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. He has won all 7 fights at the UFC level, with just 2 of those bouts going the distance. He has 4 KO/TKO wins, including the title bout against Volkanovski, while submitting Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282.

Holloway has won 3 straight fights since a unanimous-decision loss to Volkanovski in a title fight at UFC 276. He has back-to-back KO/TKO wins over Justin Gaethje and Chan Sung Jung, but prior to that he had 8 consecutive decisions, going 4-4 in those fights.

The Georgian champ is 5 years younger than “Blessed”, although the latter has a 7.17-to-4.40 significant strikes landed per minute advantage over Topuria. The significant strikes accuracy percentage is basically even, with Holloway at 49.64% and Topuria at 49.40%.

In the ground game, Topuria is very good, posting a 1.92 takedown average, while he is 56.25% in takedown accuracy percentage. The champ has a sparkling 1.28 submission average, to just 0.32 for Holloway.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of UFC odds. Lines last updated at 9:44 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Topuria -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | Holloway +225 (bet $100 to win $225)
  • Over/Under: 4.5 rounds (Over +100 | Under -130)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +120 | No -165)

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UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Topuria (-275) will set you back nearly 3 times your potential return, and there is no way to justify betting that straight up. If you were to toss the Georgian champ into a multi-leg parlay, it could be excused betting such a high number.

However, let’s get a little more specific. Holloway (+225) has ended up going the distance in 8 of the past 10 fights. While Topuria has had just 1 fight go the distance in the past 6 outings, this is a huge step up in opponent.

Look for TOPURIA BY POINTS (+250) to get the job done in a knockdown, drag-out fight.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (+120) is worth a look at plus-money.

Topuria has ended up fighting into the 2nd round in each of the past 4 outings, while winning via unanimous decision against Josh Emmett in the main event June 24, 2023, in a Fight Night.

For Holloway, he has ended up going the distance 8 times in the past 10 outings, and the Gaethje knockout at UFC 300 came at 4:59 of Round 5, just a single second short of going the distance.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway watch-along live stream with MMA Junkie Radio

Join MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” for a live-streamed watch-along of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 308 goes down Saturday night with perhaps the biggest title fight of the year, and MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” will host a live-streamed watch-along right here at 10 a.m. ET. for the full card.

In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.

UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.

Below is the complete UFC 308 lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)

  • Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
  • Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

What time is Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev? Walkout time for UFC 308 co-main event

Here’s when to expect Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev to make their cage walks at UFC 308.

A pivotal middleweight bout co-headlines UFC 308 as former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]. This bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

A victory for either Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) or Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) should secure a title shot at 185 pounds. The two men were scheduled to meet earlier this year, but Chimaev was forced to withdraw because of an illness.

Whittaker has rebounded from a TKO loss to current champion Dricus Du Plessis with back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov to remain at he top of the rankings.

The hype surround Chimaev has cooled down while he’s struggled to remain active, but he’s yet to be beaten after most recently escaping with a majority decision win over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in a middleweight bout last October.

Here are the walkout times for the UFC 308 co-main event between Whittaker and Chimaev.

When does the UFC 308 fight card start?

  • The UFC 308 lineup consists of 13 fights. Prelims start at 10 a.m ET, and the pay-per-view main card is at 2 p.m. ET.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway walkout time

  • As the co-main event, Whittaker and Chimaev are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 3:45 p.m. ET (11:45 p.m. locally in Abu Dhabi).
  • The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

What time is Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway? Walkout time for UFC 308 main event

Here’s when to expect Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway to make their cage walks at UFC 308.

One of the most anticipated fights on paper headlines UFC 308 as [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]. This featherweight championship bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) only became 145-pound champ this past February by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, less than four years since making his UFC debut in October 2020. The fact that undefeated Topuria hasn’t made a single title defense hasn’t stopped him from talking a big game, and he expects to become the first fight to knock out Holloway.

Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), a former UFC featherweight champ, has taken a long road back to a title shot after losing all three fights in a trilogy with Volkanovski. A lopsided win over Arnold Allen followed by back-to-back knockouts of Chan Sung Jung and Justin Gaethje have brought the Hawaiian back to this point.

Here are the walkout times for the UFC 308 main event between Topuria and Holloway.

When does the UFC 308 fight card start?

  • The UFC 308 lineup consists of 13 fights. Prelims start at 10 a.m ET, and the pay-per-view main card is at 2 p.m. ET.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway walkout time

  • As the main event, Topuria and Holloway are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 4:45 p.m. ET (12:45 a.m. locally in Abu Dhabi).
  • The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

UFC 308 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: Ilia Topuria says he’s ‘best in the world’ to Max Holloway’s face

In the final episode of UFC 308 “Embedded,” find out what Ilia Topuria had to say to Max Holloway during their weigh-ins faceoff.

The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi for UFC 308, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

In the headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Khamzat Chimaev sheds the last few pounds ahead of UFC 308 official weigh-ins; Athletes step on the scale to make their UFC 308 bouts official; Crowds gather to see final face-offs between fighters at the UFC 308 Ceremonial weigh-ins.

Previous UFC 308 ‘Embedded’ episodes:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.