5 takeaways from UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
The UFC hit Abu Dhabi last night for what was billed as one of the shows of the year. Thankfully, the event did not disappoint.
UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway turned out to be a thriller, with some of the wildest finishes in recent memory taking place on the card.
With plenty of talking points, this is a show that will likely live in the memory for some time.
Here are five takeaways from UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.
#5. Rafael dos Anjos may have reached the end
UFC 308's preliminary card featured a big welterweight bout pitting Geoff Neal against former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.
It was a fun-sounding fight, but given that 'RDA' had lost three of his last four fights, he really could've done with a win.
Instead, not only did he lose the bout, it also came in arguably the worst possible way.
While he survived an early knockdown from 'Handz of Steel', moments later, his left leg buckled as he ate another combination, forcing referee Mark Smith to step in.
Dos Anjos has since taken to Instagram to promise that he isn't done yet, but whether that's the case is debatable.
A severe knee injury like this one would be difficult for a fighter in their 20s to fully recover from - let alone a veteran who turned 40 years old this weekend.
Therefore, while 'RDA' can promise to return to the UFC, whether he can actually pull it off is another thing entirely. Realistically, there's a chance we might've seen the end of the former champion's career last night.
#4. Did Magomed Ankalaev do enough to earn a light-heavyweight title shot?
Arguably, the fighter most in need of an impressive win at UFC 308 was Magomed Ankalaev.
Riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak, the Dagestani probably should've had the shot at light-heavyweight champ Alex Pereira that instead went to Khalil Rountree earlier this month.
Seemingly, the only reason Ankalaev had not been handed a title shot was because of a perceived dull fighting style, and so it felt imperative that he changed that in Abu Dhabi.
Did he manage it? It's debatable.
On one hand, the Dagestani won a fight that primarily took place on the feet, largely shutting down and getting the better of a notable striker in Aleksandar Rakic.
On the other hand, he never hurt the Austrian properly at any stage, chose not to unleash his powerful takedowns, and a finish never looked likely.
So will he now get the title shot he craves? He's clearly the top contender at 205 pounds, but for many fans - and probably Dana White too - a Pereira vs. Ankalaev fight probably doesn't thrill like Pereira moving to heavyweight would.
In essence, things probably depend on what 'Poatan' wants to do next, and unfortunately, despite a post-fight call-out, Ankalaev didn't force his hand last night.
#3. Shara Magomedov's finish of Armen Petrosyan was one of the best of the year
UFC 308 always looked like it could produce some wild action, but few fans could've seen probably the best knockout of the year coming.
The main card was opened by a middleweight fight between rising star Sharapudtin Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan, and many fans hoped for a good showing from 'Shara Bullet'.
Not only were they treated to just that, but the Dagestani also produced one of the craziest finishes in UFC history.
We'd seen notable spinning back-fist knockouts before from the likes of Shonie Carter and Steven Peterson, but 'Shara Bullet' somehow managed to pull off a double spinning back-fist to down Petrosyan.
Essentially, he stunned 'Superman' with one spinning back fist, freezing him in his tracks, and then spun the other way and dropped him with another, putting him down for good.
It was one of the most unique knockouts ever and should see the Dagestani's stock rise hugely.
Unsurprisingly, the win netted 'Shara Bullet' a $50k bonus, and it also means he's now 4-0 in the octagon. The chances of him being handed an easier fight next time out now seem slim, meaning we could see him pushed up against a ranked opponent sooner rather than later.
#2. The UFC must strike while the iron is hot and give Khamzat Chimaev the next shot at the middleweight title
On a night full of mind-blowing finishes, the most insane moment probably came in the co-headliner between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.
Prior to the bout, Whittaker had won his last two fights over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov. More to the point, he'd also only ever lost to two men at 185 pounds - Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis.
While Chimaev was still unbeaten, he'd only ever beaten a blown-up 170-pounder in Kamaru Usman at middleweight, hadn't fought in a year, and was coming off another bout of serious illness.
Basically, while the fight clearly wasn't impossible for 'Borz', it looked easily his toughest test to date.
In the end, though, Chimaev made easy work of 'The Reaper', leaving everyone stunned. He took Whittaker down with ease, bullied him on the ground, and then slapped on a face crank, seemingly breaking the Aussie's jaw to force him to tap quickly.
To say this was impressive would be an understatement. Nobody had ever done anything like this to Whittaker before in his decade-long UFC career.
Put simply, then, the UFC now has to strike while the iron is hot and push Chimaev into a middleweight title fight with Du Plessis in early 2025.
'Stillknocks' is reportedly ready to defend against former champ Sean Strickland next, but after this showing, 'Borz' ought to leapfrog him. If anything, this win over Whittaker - in this fashion - is better than anything 'Tarzan' has produced in his career anyway.
With any luck, Chimaev will be ready by March at the latest and Dana White and company can put the fight together. After last night, it'd be a shock if 'Borz' isn't the next 185-pound titleholder.
#1. Does 2024 belong to Alex Pereira or Ilia Topuria?
Earlier this month, Alex Pereira punctuated his year by stopping Khalil Rountree Jr to make the third defense of his light-heavyweight title.
Given his earlier wins over Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, most observers were quick to state that in the UFC, 2024 belonged to 'Poatan'.
However, that 'Fighter of the Year' award could now also belong to Ilia Topuria.
'El Matador' won the featherweight title from longtime champ Alexander Volkanovski in February, knocking the Australian out.
However, given that Volkanovski was coming off a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev just five months earlier, it was hard to shake the idea that Topuria was in the right place at the right time.
After last night, though, there can be no doubts about the Georgian-Spanish star.
Not only did 'El Matador' defeat Max Holloway comprehensively, he became the first man to ever knock the Hawaiian out, stopping him with strikes in the third round.
Holloway tried his best to impose his will with a long, snake-like jab, but it was to no avail. Topuria basically broke him down with low kicks and booming punches and eventually finished him with a big flurry, ending with a nasty left hand that put 'Blessed' down for good.
While Pereira's three wins this year have been impressive, it's arguable that Topuria's back-to-back wins over Volkanovski and Holloway - both by knockout - rank among the best in UFC history.
Therefore, it'd be fair to say that 2024 belongs to 'El Matador' just as much as it does 'Poatan'.