Ilia Topuria became the first to KO Max Holloway, but an earlier Fight of the Night winner was a bloodbath.
The UFC’s return to the Middle East had some highlight reel-worthy moments, without question, and now they’re available in super slow motion.
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) made history when he became the first to knock out former champ Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC). Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) crushed the jaw of former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) and probably leapfrogged his way to a title shot. Shara Magomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) landed an absurd double spinning backfist to beat Armen Petrosyan (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC).
But the fight between Mateusz Rebecki (20-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Myktybek Orolbai (13-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on the prelims was a deserving Fight of the Night winner that left both of their faces a bloody mess. To see it in slow motion so close to Halloween is slightly terrifying.
Check out all the highlights in super-slow motion in the UFC 308 “Fight Motion” video highlights above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Rinat Fakhretdinov didn’t appreciate the commentary from Daniel Cormier at UFC 308, prompting the Hall of Famer to issue a response.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] didn’t mince words when asked about [autotag]Rinat Fakhredinov[/autotag]’s recent comments toward the commentary team at UFC 308.
Fakhredinov (23-1-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) won a controversial unanimous decision over Carlos Leal in their welterweight bout at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Cormier, who was on the commentary duty for the event, firmly disagreed with the decision.
“Really bad commentators,” Fakhredinov said during a post-fight news conference at UFC 308. “… First round was pretty close. It could’ve gone either way. I didn’t have any doubt the second or third round was mine. After your words, people will say again the Arabs bought the decision.”
During a Q&A session prior to the UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial weigh-ins, Cormier was asked about Fakhredinov’s comments, and didn’t hold back his opinion.
“I don’t know what this dude was talking about,” Cormier said. “I’m serious. Listen bro, he lost. I don’t care how many times he complains – and that’s the thing. These fighters, they go and they fight. It was so clear that the guy lost the fight. He gets a microphone and he goes and sticks his foot in his mouth. That’s the problem. He’s a moron, and he just needs to recognize he lost.”
Every media member who submitted a scorecard to MMA Decisions scored the fight in favor of Leal (21-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC). In fact, most of them scored every round for Leal, who walked away with a loss in his promotional debut.
While the official result prevented Fakhretdinov from recording his first loss in the UFC, Cormier believes that he was “gifted” a win by the cageside judges, and should just quietly accept the result.
“Take it. Just take it,” Cormier said. “You got gifted a win. Take it. Just take it and keep your head tucked down until you fight somebody next time.”
Khamzat Chimaev returned in emphatic fashion at UFC 308.
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] returned in emphatic fashion at UFC 308.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission in this past Saturday’s co-main event in Abu Dhabi. He acquired the help of Dr. Matteo Capodaglio, who works with the likes of No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan and former title challenger Marvin Vettori. Chimaev has experienced a slew of health issues in the past year, which saw the cancellation of his first scheduled bout against Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 in June.
Capodaglio discussed how Chimaev avoided overtraining for this camp while also maintaining his usual intensity.
“I can do as much as I want when it comes to nutrition, but if the training volume is overwhelming, it doesn’t matter. The body is going to break down at one point,” Capodaglio told MMA Junkie. “You can have the best nutrition, but if you train eight hours a day say, the likelihood of having an injury is increased. I think the rest of the team did a great job, and Khamzat did a great job of understanding this. Not just macronutrient periodization but also training periodization.
“The training sessions were intense, but they were not never ending. So, the reduction of training volume, I guess compared to his previous camp, I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for certain, but from what I heard, also played a huge role. … I was impressed with the output that he put in the training sessions. That was intense. Like, very intense. He was hammering people. I was going into the fight with a lot of good feelings.”
Leading up to UFC 308, Chimaev mentioned the possibility of returning to welterweight. Capodaglio thinks middleweight is optimal but doesn’t see a drop back down as an impossible feat. Capodaglio helped former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt make flyweight with no issues.
“He recently moved up to 185, and he’s feeling that weight class,” Capodaglio said. “Meaning that he’s probably also gaining lean mass, he’s getting bigger. To go back to 170, and this is not just for Khamzat, I think there should be a buffer period where he works on decreasing his lean mass because of course lean mass is important for performance.
“But the thing is, if your lean mass is so big that you cannot possibly make the weight, even if you’re super lean, then the only way to make weight will be to decrease that. So, it will be something that requires time, requires work, but theoretically, with the right preparation, it could be doable.”
The unbeaten phenom has now knocked out featherweight greats Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway back-to-back, and Rogan raved about Topuria’s well-rounded skillset.
“Ilia is fast as f*ck,” Rogan said in a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “He’s not slow at all. He doesn’t have any disadvantages. He doesn’t have any weaknesses, man. That’s the thing. That’s why I say he’s the new high-water mark. There’s people that are thinking he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter alive.
“There’s a lot of discussion about that online. It’s a little premature, especially with Jon Jones still out there, and there are other elite guys still out there – Islam Makhachev is another one. There’s a real argument that he’s the best pound-for-pound guy alive, but it’s f*cking close. Ilia – he might be the best.”
Topuria’s first seven professional wins all came by submission until he scored his first-career knockout in November 2019 – his final fight before signing with the UFC. Since then, “El Matador” has fallen in love with his boxing, scoring knockouts in five of his next eight fights.
Eddie Alvarez gave insight on just how much power UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria packs.
[autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] gave insight on just how much power UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] packs.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) retained his featherweight title by becoming the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in the UFC 308 main event. He has now knocked out former champions Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway back-to-back.
Alvarez recounted hearing that Topuria took out numerous fighters when training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida. The former UFC lightweight champion also said Topuria managed to show off his grappling.
“I heard through my Kill Cliff buddies that he went over there and knocked out three guys in training in a training camp,” Alvarez said in an interview with Tim Welch. “And the Dagestanis couldn’t take him down, and he was taking them down. I overhear things in training, and I’m more concerned with the training than I am the fight, because in the fight you only get a little bit of time to display what you’ve got.
“But in training when you’re relaxed and doing these things consistently, to hear he went down to Kill Cliff and knocked out three of his training partners and was willingly taking down the Dagestani guys – what holes are we dealing with? He just dealt with the volume and the endurance of Max Holloway. If I’m hearing he’s really difficult to take down, his jiu-jitsu – he started his career just subbing guys, so this guy is a weapon all over.”
Topuria’s career started off with eight-straight submission wins, before he knocked out his first opponent in November 2019. He has now knocked out five of his past eight opponents.
Prior to the Topuria loss, Holloway scored an iconic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje to capture the BMF title at UFC 300. The win placed him No. 5 in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, and that’s where Bisping thinks Holloway should put all of his focus moving forward.
“The time is done. That ship has sailed: Move on,” Bisping said of Holloway’s featherweight days on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “You’re getting older. The weight cut’s tougher. You’ve had a couple of losses. You almost became the champion again. You looked incredible against Justin Gaethje – you took his shots, you knocked him out cold. He’s ranked No. (5) at lightweight. There’s a lot of fun fights for (Holloway) at 155 pounds.
“There’s Dan Hooker, there’s (Dustin) Poirier, there’s Gaethje, Charles Oliviera – which by the way, them three would all be rematches, which is wild. Arman Tsarukyan, he fights Islam (Makhachev) – there’s nothing but big fights for (Holloway) at 155 pounds. And given that he’s ranked No. 5 already, one, two fights, Max Holloway is trying to become a champion at 155 pounds. So it’s far from over.”
Holloway himself appears to have acknowledged that a move back up to lightweight is the best next step for him.
“I had the best 145 cut here,” Holloway said during the UFC 308 post-fight news conference. “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.”
Holloway already had one crack at the lightweight title when he faced Dustin Poirier for the interim belt in April 2019. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) retained his featherweight title in this past Saturday’s UFC 308 headliner by becoming the first fighter to knock out Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC). The power difference was evident early, but Holloway was starting to find success with his jab in Rounds 2 and 3 before Topuria landed a blistering left hook to sit him down.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dillashaw credited Holloway for circling well in the first couple of rounds but thinks “Blessed” ultimately got too comfortable standing in front of Topuria and exchanging, which cost him.
“I think he (Holloway) got too comfortable in the second round,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON Podcast.” “He started piecing him (Topuria) up, right? He’s using his distance, he had a great jab, he’s hammering his jab, and Max is a volume guy.
“His volume’s working, he gets better and better as the fight goes on, and I think when it got into the third round, he got a little comfortable, and Topuria’s fast as f*ck. He did that slapping hook to get his hands away from his face with that overhand right and then it changed everything.”
Dillashaw heaped praise on Topuria’s boxing, calling him No. 1 the UFC’s ever had.
“He could be a boxer,” Dillashaw said of Topuria. “Legitimately I feel like he could be an actual boxer. I think he’s the best boxer that’s been in the UFC cage in my opinion, technique wise. …He makes you miss with like the littlest movements.
“He’s not dramatic. He keeps his weight underneath him. His feet are always perfectly underneath him, he can throw power at any time, and he makes you miss just by a little bit. He’s got his head motion just a little bit off the line. You throw a jab, he slips it.”
Diego Lopes makes his case to be the next challenger for UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.
[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] has his sights set on [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s UFC featherweight title, and he’s not afraid to go and take it from him.
Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a streaking title contender at 145 pounds, wants to be the next person to challenge Ilia Topuria, and he believes he’s more than deserving to call for a title shot, given the body of work he’s put together in 2024.
“If they asked me what arguments there are for me to be the next one, I say: I’m on a good streak; I’ve beaten three people in the rankings this year; I’m at No. 3, and Topuria has beaten the two fighters that are above me in the rankings,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “We’re the new blood of the division, and this is a renewal bout for the division.
“I think for a long time, all the championship fights have either involved Volkanovski or Holloway. This fight will be a renewal. Also, this fight can be done in Spain or anywhere in Latin America and be promoted 100 percent in Spanish for all the Hispanic people. Those are the arguments that I bring to the table.”
Topuria is coming off a historic win at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Not only did he complete his first title defense, but he also became the first man to knock out Max Holloway.
Topuria has put away six of the eight opponents he’s faced in the UFC and has proven he’s one of the most dangerous fighters in the game. Although Lopes respects his craft, the Lobo Gym and Brazilian Warriors product is in no way afraid of his power, and sees Topuria as a good matchup.
“What I bring to the table, simply put, is the power in my hands, definitely, the explosivity in my striking, my volume, and I’d say the main thing is that I don’t fear anyone,” Lopes said. “I don’t fear anyone. Just like he goes to punish, so do I.
“If the fight does go down, it will be a clash, a clash. If he moves forward, he’s going to run into a wall. That’s what I bring. I won’t be backing up, moving side to side, looking to maintain the fight at a distance. I like the clash. I like coming in and clashing. That’s where I feel comfortable, and that’s also his game, so I think the style favors me.”
Lopes told MMA Junkie that he’s open to face Alexander Volkanovski for an interim title in early 2025 if Topuria were to take a break from the sport. However, his ideal scenario is a title shot, which he feels confident can happen next.
“If we’re talking about numbers and results, not to brag, but I think I’m in a good position to ask for the title,” Lopes said. “Before April 10, before UFC 300, I wasn’t in the UFC rankings. However, since, I’ve beaten three ranked fighters, and I’ve positioned myself at No. 3. I think based on merit, I’ve earned the position that I’m in. Topuria just knocked out No. 1 and 2, and I’m No. 3. I think I have arguments to call for this title fight.”
After UFC 308, Ilia Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent wants Islam Makhachev next for his pupil
[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and his team have had one of the greatest years in MMA history. That doesn’t mean they’re done chasing glory.
Following an impressive title defense at Saturday’s UFC 308 where Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first person to knockout Max Holloway, his head coach [autotag]Jorge Climent[/autotag] wants him to take another leap in his fighting career.
For Climent, this means going up a weight class and challenging UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], who’s considered by many as the pound-for-pound best.
“The fight that I think would put Ilia at the very top without any discussion that he’s the best fighter in the world would be against Islam Makhachev,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The fight is against Islam because at this moment he’s a defending champion. I know Ilia has only defended his belt once and that can make it difficult to get the opportunity, unless you’re a Conor (McGregor). So I do think they’re going to give it to (Alexander) Volkanovski (next).”
Climent sees Volkanovski as the next likely option for his pupil. But given the result of their first meeting back in February, he doesn’t see the former champ as the biggest challenge for Topuria.
Climent undoubtedly sees Makhachev as thee toughest test, but still with a clear path to victory.
“It’s our toughest fight,” Climent said. “However, after seeing how much success Volkanovski had against him the first fight, of course (we) see an opportunity. This is the toughest fight, without a doubt, but I like it.”
Many notable fighters called out Topuria following his historic title defense against Holloway, an indication to Climent that Topuria is quickly becoming one of the most important names in the sport.
“Paddy ‘The P*ssy’ made some comments. Dustin Poirier called him out. That means Ilia is doing big things because that only happens when you’re truly doing big things,” Climent said. “Everyone that wants a spotlight is calling him out, Conor and others. I still think the best fight is against (Makhachev) and the biggest money fight is against Conor, which I see a bit unlikely.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Tim Welch’s opinion on Sean O’Malley being a tough stylistic matchup for Ilia Topuria hasn’t changed after UFC 308.
[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag]’s opinion of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] being a tough stylistic matchup for featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] hasn’t changed after UFC 308.
“I don’t think it’s past,” Welch told Submission Radio. “I mean, you never know what’s going to happen in the UFC. It’s not impossible that Volkanovski goes out there and beats Ilia Topuria. I mean, that’s possible. So, you never know, and I do think stylistically, Sean could give Ilia problems. He really could, but Ilia Topuria is a very, very scary fight.
“That’s not a fight you go in there and be like, ‘Oh yeah, man, we’re going to go out,’ – it’s like, you make one mistake with Ilia Topuria, and you’re going to be lights out, looking up at the ceiling or whatever. But that’s a scary, scary fight. But I do believe that Sean, with his range and with his speed and with just his overall skill set, he could give Ilia problems. I do believe that.”
After losing his title to Dvalishvili, O’Malley underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he came into the fight with. Dvalishvili appears willing to grant O’Malley an immediate rematch, and if the pair do run things back, Welch is confident that “The Suga Show” would get the finish.
“A healthy Sean, I do believe we go out there and end up KO’ing Merab in between some sort of scramble or something,” Welch said. “On the in-betweens, I think Sean will be able to catch his chin and put him down.”
