Featherweight Title Fight Headlines UFC 308 In Abu Dhabi
UFC CEO Dana White Announces Exciting Slate Of Fights For October 26 Pay-Per-View
UFC CEO Dana White announced the Octagon’s second trip to Abu Dhabi in 2024, stating the promotion’s return with UFC 308 on October 26 will feature featherweight champion Ilia Topuria making the first defense of his title against former featherweight king and current BMF champion Max Holloway.
Both men are coming off two of the top knockouts of the year so far — Topuria’s title-winning sleeper in the second round against Alexander Volkanovski, and Holloway’s last-second right hand to render Justin Gaethje unconscious at UFC 300.
The matchup is one most expected after Holloway’s epic win in Las Vegas — although he and Topuria have engaged in an odd, cat-and-mouse sort of game on social media. All that goes by the wayside when the two square off in Abu Dhabi, however. The undefeated Topuria has the chance to solidify his claim on the featherweight throne if he can best Holloway, who many consider one of the best in division’s history. Holloway, on the other hand, could finally get his hands back on the belt he first lost to Volkanovski in December 2019. Since then, Holloway has delivered several iconic performances despite not being able to get over the Volkanovski hump.
White also announced the rebooking of a five-round middleweight clash between former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker and undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. The two were originally scheduled to meet at the UFC’s inaugural event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but Chimaev was removed from the bout less than two weeks before the fight due to illness. Replacing him was the budding middleweight contender Ikram Aliskerov. Despite facing a new opponent on short notice, Whittaker recorded his fastest finish in over nine years, knocking out Aliskerov less than two minutes into the first round. This high-stakes middleweight tilt between Whittaker and Chimaev could very well determine the next title challenger for the winner of UFC 305’s main event between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former middleweight king Israel Adesanya.
French phenom Ciryl Gane will make his return to the Octagon in a rematch against Alexander Volkov. Gane scored a five round unanimous decision victory in their first meeting back in 2019, but Volkov has won five of his last six fights, with his only loss during that period coming against interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. It will be over a year since Gane last competed, but a win over a streaking Volkov would solidify his status as the top heavyweight contender.
Light heavyweight’s Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakić will also compete in a fight that could distinguish the next challenger to Alex Pereira’s throne. Rakić is seeking his first win since March 2021, after which he suffered a knee injury that kept him out until his fight against Jiří Procházka at UFC 300. Ankalaev, on the other hand, just seems to need one more significant win before getting his second chance at gold. He most recently put away Johnny Walker in the second round of their rematch to open 2024.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for any and all updates regarding fights and events.
