Champion Ilia Topuria, proper, battles Max Holloway throughout a blended martial arts featherweight title bout at UFC 308 on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photograph/Altaf Qadri)
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria vowed to change into the primary man to knock out Max Holloway.
He made good on his promise at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
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Utilizing an enormous proper hand to daze Holloway, Topuria (16-0) adopted up moments later with a strong left hook that dropped the 32-year-old. Topuria pounced on Holloway instantly for a ground-and-pound end earlier than referee Mark Goddard stopped the bout on the 1:34 mark of the third spherical.
READ: Topuria ends Volkanovski reign, wins UFC featherweight title
“To beat a legend like Max Holloway, I don’t know what to say,” Topuria stated. “He’s been an awesome instance for the era. … I hope I’m gonna be a small instance he has been for me for the brand new era.”
Topuria stated he knew instantly along with his preliminary energy punch that the victory was inside his grasp.
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“I catch him with … the suitable hand, I felt it,” Topuria stated. “I noticed it in his face. You don’t see that usually in Max Holloway.”
Topuria opened the match with Holloway’s conventional gesture of pointing to the middle of the ring, indicating he wished to throw down with immediacy. Holloway, as an alternative, pointed to the place he was standing.
The 2 blended it up within the first spherical, Topuria doing early injury with leg kicks to Holloway’s lead leg. Each fighters’ boxing expertise had been on show within the second spherical, with Holloway touchdown a number of large photographs. Nevertheless it was Topuria’s leg kicks that seemingly continued to weaken Holloway.
Then got here his two large punches within the third.
“He simply landed a shot and I suppose it damage way more than I believed it did,” stated Holloway, who fell to 26-8. “I felt nice till he did it. No excuses. I felt nice, I had an awesome camp, no accidents. I went on the market, did my factor. He was only a higher man tonight.”
It was Topuria’s first title protection since capturing the belt with a second-round technical knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 on Feb. 17.
Topuria’s back-to-back victories over Holloway and Volkanovski make a case for Fighter of the Yr.
Volkanovski was in attendance Saturday, and Topuria stated he would honor him with a rematch.
“You deserve that, you’re the person,” Topuria informed Volkanovski, who entered the octagon after the match.
READ: Max Holloway KO of Gaethje probably the lasting reminiscence of UFC 300
Within the co-main occasion, No. 13 Khamzat Chimaev (14-0) stopped No. 3 Robert Whitaker (27-8) with a first-round submission simply 3:34 into the battle, after taking him down and administering a depraved face crank.
“I’m going for the belt!” Chimaev exclaimed after his dominating win.
“I like you brother, you’re a legend,” the Russian informed Whitaker throughout his post-fight interview.
High-ranked mild heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev defeated No. 5 Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous choice after three rounds.
In an action-packed three-round featherweight match, Lerone Murphy beat Dan Ige by unanimous choice.
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Shara Magomedov (15-0-0) defeated Armen Petrosyan (9-4-0) by TKO on the 4:52 mark of the second spherical of their middleweight bout.
