5 fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 308
This weekend will see the UFC head to Abu Dhabi for the final show of October. This event is a big pay-per-view and promises to be a good one.
UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway features a loaded card, but there's no doubt that some of the fighters in action are under pressure.
Regardless of whether that pressure is for them to stay in title contention or to keep their spot on the roster altogether, it's safe to say they'll be desperate to win.
Here are five fighters who cannot afford to lose at UFC 308.
#5. Bruno Silva - UFC middleweight
Given the competitive nature of the UFC's ever-changing, fluid roster, it's a surprise of sorts that Bruno Silva remains part of it.
After all, the Brazilian middleweight is coming into his fight this weekend on the back of a three-fight losing streak. His last win came in April 2023, and even that followed a pair of losses.
Realistically, it's a little unfair to Silva to criticize him too much for his losses, some of which came against big names in Alex Pereira, Shara Magomedov, and Brendan Allen.
However, his most recent defeat at the hands of Chris Weidman was more disturbing. Weidman has looked past his prime for years now and was still able to beat Silva without many issues.
This weekend sees the Brazilian faced with Ismail Naurdiev, who is making his return to the UFC after a four-year absence. 'The Austrian Wonderboy' is coming off a win, but hasn't really set the world alight on the regional scene since departing.
Therefore, if Silva loses this one, it's highly likely his octagon career is done - meaning he cannot afford the defeat.
#4. Kennedy Nzechukwu - UFC heavyweight
The UFC is such a competitive place that it's easy for a fighter who appears to be on the rise to suddenly hit a slide and be unable to recover from it.
That could be exactly what's happened to Kennedy Nzechukwu. As recently as mid-2023, 'The African Savage' looked like he was well on his way to becoming a force at 205 pounds.
He won three fights in a row, all via finish, and was on the verge of the top fifteen. However, a quick TKO loss to Dustin Jacoby quickly knocked him off the rails, and his last fight saw him beaten by Ovince St. Preux in a poor showing.
This weekend will see Nzechukwu move up to heavyweight for the first time, but it could be the last chance saloon for him.
He's faced with a late notice foe in Chris Barnett, and while 'Beast Boy' is tough, the fact that he's on less than three weeks' preparation means that realistically, he should be beatable.
Therefore, if 'The African Savage' falls at his hands, the chances are that his octagon career is going to be over. To retain his roster spot, he almost has to win.
#3. Robert Whittaker - UFC middleweight
Given that he's one of the UFC's most recognizable stars, particularly in Australia, and he's set to fight in this weekend's co-headliner, Robert Whittaker is in no danger of losing his spot on the roster.
However, the fact is that he still can't really afford to suffer a loss - particularly a bad one - at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi.
If 'The Reaper' can hand Chimaev his first-ever loss, then it's highly likely he'll find himself fighting for the middleweight title again next year.
If he loses, though, his chances of climbing back into title contention are basically done. He's already lost to Israel Adesanya twice, and was also knocked out by current champ Dricus du Plessis last year.
A defeat to Chimaev would push him further down the ladder, and would probably push him towards gatekeeper status, something that he's probably desperate to avoid.
If he does lose this weekend, though, at the age of 33, his fate would probably be sealed. With that in mind, Whittaker needs to win to ensure his future remains bright.
#2. Magomed Ankalaev - UFC light heavyweight
Outside of the two headline bouts this weekend, Magomed Ankalaev probably has the most pressure on his shoulders coming into UFC 308.
Riding a twelve-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2018, the Dagestani obviously isn't in danger of losing his roster spot. He could be knocked out in 30 seconds by Aleksandar Rakic and still return in 2025.
However, right now, Ankalaev has one thing on his mind, and that's securing a shot at current light-heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira.
The issue for the Dagestani is that Dana White and company simply don't seem to view Ankalaev as a viable star, meaning that he's got to go above and beyond to claim his shot at the gold.
Therefore, he cannot afford to lose to 'The Rocket' in Abu Dhabi. If he does, his only chance of claiming a title shot will probably go up in smoke.
In some ways, Ankalaev can't even afford to win in anything but entertaining fashion this weekend. The pressure on him, simply put, is massive.
#1. Rafael dos Anjos - UFC welterweight
While he isn't set to appear on the main card of UFC 308, it's arguable that the fighter who has the most to lose this weekend is Rafael dos Anjos.
The former lightweight champion is largely renowned as one of the toughest gatekeepers in the entire UFC.
Right now, though, it might not be unfair to think that he's finally on the wane. The Brazilian turns 40 years old on the day of this weekend's event, and he's also lost his last two bouts, being outpointed by Vicente Luque and Mateusz Gamrot.
While he looked good in his win over Bryan Barberena, meanwhile, if you add in his 2022 knockout loss to Rafael Fiziev, he's lost three of his last four.
'RDA' is still a fantastic fighter, and it's unlikely that Dana White and company would cut him, even with a loss this weekend. After all, he's been on the roster since 2008.
However, if Geoff Neal does knock him out, then the calls for him to hang up his gloves might be hard to stop. The only way for him to avoid that is to ensure that he does not lose this weekend - meaning everything is on the line for him.