BREAKING: Dana White reveals lineup for UFC 308 with Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway as championship headliner
UFC 308 has finally been unveiled, and its headline bout will feature Ilia Topuria making his highly anticipated featherweight title defense against former featherweight kingpin and reigning 'BMF' champion Max Holloway, with whom he has been chirping back-and-forth on social media for months.
The announcement comes after months of speculation regarding Topuria's bout with Holloway. The pair's scrap marks the promotion's return to Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, with more blockbuster fights bolstering the card, according to an X/Twitter announcement from none other than UFC CEO Dana White himself.
"What's up everybody! I'm back with another fight announcement live from the Etihad Arena, Fight Island, Abu Dhabi. It's UFC 308! The main event is undefeated lightweight [sic] champ, Ilia Topuria looks to make his first title defense against the legend and BMF Max Holloway."
Check out Dana White's UFC 308 announcement:
Besides Topuria's featherweight title defense against Holloway, the event features ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on undefeated Chechen phenom, Khamzat Chimaev, who he was originally scheduled to face in late June on UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately, Chimaev withdrew from the card due to illness, and was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov, who 'The Reaper' subsequently knocked out within a round. Meanwhile, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane makes his return against the streaking Alexander Volkov in a rematch.
For the final main card bout, Magomed Ankalaev's pursuit of a light heavyweight title fight continues as he locks horns with Aleksandar Rakić, with a win sure to earn the Dagestani his long-awaited championship opportunity.
Are there any other bouts announced for UFC 308?
Besides Ilia Topuria's first duty as a defending champion, and the high-profile cast of fighters bolstering the event, UFC 308 also features a welterweight scrap between Rinat Fakhretdinov, who is unbeaten in 20 fights, and Nursulton Ruziboev, who is coming off a humbling loss to Joaquin Buckley.
Elsewhere in the lighter divisions, unbeaten featherweight Lerone Murphy will look to extend his 14-0-1 record by facing hard-nosed veteran Dan Ige, who is coming off a thrilling action-fight against the always dangerous Diego Lopes at UFC 300.