UFC knockout of the month for October 2024: Ilia Topuria's stunning left hook to hand Max Holloway his first-ever KO loss
The UFC 308 showdown between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway ended in decisive fashion, as 'El Matador' earned the honor of being the first fighter to knock out the legendary Holloway. Topuria's victory also marked his first successful defense of the UFC featherweight title.
On the other hand, it was a major setback for Holloway in his quest to reclaim the UFC featherweight title he once held. 'Blessed' subsequently hinted at potentially returning to lightweight. The fight served as the headlining match of the UFC 308 card at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Topuria suggested he's open to a rematching Alexander Volkanovski or fighting Diego Lopes next. Today we take a look at his iconic KO against Holloway, which is, deservingly, our pick for the best KO of October 2024!
UFC knockout of the month for October 2024: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
Heading into the fight, Ilia Topuria boasted an unbeaten professional MMA record. Additionally, though Max Holloway had been beaten before, even finished via submission, knocking him out was regarded as nigh impossible.
The Hawaiian has gone toe to toe in the striking department with dangerous KO artists like Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and others, but none were able to knock him out. That said, Topuria warned that he'd succeed where all the aforementioned striking wizards didn't. The Georgian-Spaniard vowed to KO Holloway.
Prior to the fight, Ilia Topuria had jibed at Max Holloway's tendency to point to the center of the octagon and get into a phone booth striking exchange with his opponents during the final seconds of the fight. He promised to point to the center and trade with Holloway within the first 10 seconds of their fight and kept his word.
However, Holloway didn't engage. Both appeared to be exercising an abundance of caution in round one, primarily gauging the range and timing, and presumably getting miscellaneous reads. Topuria did land a good takedown but was unable to hold his crafty foe to the mat or inflict any significant damage. He did catch 'Blessed' with a good right hand, leading to a slip toward the end of that round.
Akin to round one, the second frame also had Topuria with an apparent edge in striking power and Holloway with the better volume. The 27-year-old's hand speed shined throughout, as did his technical pugilistic prowess, helping him outbox Holloway, who's considered one of the best boxers in MMA.
Topuria and Holloway also exchanged kicks but weren't able to land clean. The punches were a different story, however, as they both absorbed some solid shots while the violence gradually escalated in the fight.
The third round saw Holloway get caught with a huge right to the face, with his feet out of position while he appeared to be shifting stances. After being rocked by the monstrous right hand, which would've probably knocked out most other humans, Holloway tried his best to recover.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old UFC great was swarmed by Topuria with head and body punches. He ultimately landed a thunderous left hook that knocked Holloway down. A few follow-up ground strikes put him away at the 1:34-minute mark of round three.
Watch the stoppage below: