UFC 308 recap: Topuria knocks out Holloway at Etihad Arena
Ilia Topuria became the first man to stop Max Holloway with strikes at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, on a card full of future UFC 333 links.
Two years before Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev meet at UFC 333, the featherweight title was on the line at the same arena. At UFC 308 on 26 October 2024, Ilia Topuria defended the belt against Max Holloway with a third-round knockout.
The first two rounds were close and tense, according to CBS Sports. In the third, Topuria dropped Holloway with a left hook along the fence and the fight was stopped at 1:34. It was the first knockout loss of Holloway's 34-fight career and Topuria's first title defence, coming months after he had taken the belt from Volkanovski.
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev took Robert Whittaker down within seconds and finished him with a face crank at 3:34 of the first round, putting himself in line for a middleweight title shot. Magomed Ankalaev beat Aleksandar Rakic on points, and Shara Magomedov landed back-to-back spinning backfists to stop Armen Petrosyan in the second round.
Two results on that card matter for UFC 333. Lerone Murphy beat Dan Ige on points, part of the unbeaten run that ended against Evloev in London in March. And on the prelims, Abus Magomedov submitted Brunno Ferreira with an arm-triangle choke in the third round. Magomedov returns to the same cage on 24 October against Cam Rowston.
Volkanovski has since won the featherweight title back by beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and defended it against Lopes at UFC 325, according to Gulf News. On 24 October he puts it on the line in Abu Dhabi against Evloev.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: CBS Sports, POST Wrestling, Gulf News, UFC.com
