The UFC featherweight title is on the line in Abu Dhabi as Ilia Topuria defends the belt against former champion and current BMF champion Max Holloway. The fight, featuring two dangerous strikers, main events a stacked UFC 308.
The co-main event will see former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round fight. The fight was originally for Saudi Arabia in June, but Chimaev withdrew due to illness. Since being affected by COVID-19 in 2020, Chimaev has fought four times since 2021. He has six wins via knockout and five via submission.
Whittaker won the UFC middleweight title in 2017 but lost it against Israel Adesanya in 2019. Since then, he has gone 6-2 in his last eight fights and on a two-fight win streak. “The Reaper” beat Ikram Aliskerov, Chimaev’s replacement, via first-round knockout. Whittaker requested the Chimaev fight get rebooked so he could earn another shot at gold the hard way.
“So, he’s (Chimaev) a draw, and I think the UFC, story-wise, wants to see Chimaev get a shot at the champion. They want to see Chimaev up the top of the ladder. They want to see him in that picture. But I love disrupting their plans. I love derailing their stories and that’s why I took the fight. I asked for the fight. It wasn’t offered to me,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast via MMA Junkie.
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Below is the complete fight card for UFC 308.
UFC 308 fight card
Main Card
- Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title
- Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev; Middleweights
- Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige; Featherweights
- Magomed Anakalev faces Aleksandar Rakic; Light Heavyweights
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan; Middleweights
Prelims
- Geoff Neal vs, Rafael dos Anjos; Welterweights
- Mateusz Rębecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai; Lightweights
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. TBA; Bantamweights
- Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira; Middleweights
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett; Heavyweights
- Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo; Bantamweights
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva; Middleweights
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal; Light Heavyweights
- Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira; Light Heavyweghts
Ilia Topuria defends the UFC featherweight title against Max Holloway in the main event.
Light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1, 1NC), on a twelve-fight unbeaten streak, puts his number one ranking on the line against Aleksandar Rakic (14-4), ranked fifth and on a two-fight losing streak.
Meanwhile, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, 1-2 in his last three fights, returns against Geoff Neal, 2-2 in his last four.
Also on the prelims, the exciting Chris Barnett (23-8), 2-2 in his last four fights, faces Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-5), also 2-2 in his previous four contests.
UFC 308 tune-in info
- Date: Saturday, October 26
- Location: Etihad Arena – Abu Dhabi
- Time: 2 p.m. ET (10 a.m. ET for prelims)
- How to watch:
- US: ESPN+ ($79.99 PPV fee plus $11.99/month membership)
- UK: TNT Sports (￡3.99/month or ￡39.99/year via discovery+)
- Canada: DAZN ($69.99)
UFC 308 will be in Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 26. The prelims start at 10 a.m. ET. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET, and Topuria and Holloway should make their way to the octagon around 6 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
WATCH: UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, exclusively on ESPN+
Fight fans can watch UFC 308 on ESPN+ PPV in the U.S.
Upcoming UFC TV schedule
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