Dustin Poirier is one of the most prolific knockout artists in UFC history. And if he couldn’t shut Max Holloway’s light off, he struggles to see Ilia Topuria doing so at UFC 308.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has been nothing short of adamant he will be the first to stop Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) with strikes in MMA competition when they meet in Saturday’s featherweight title headliner at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+). He has promise to turn the lights of on “Blessed” at every turn, which is a bold statement given Holloway has the most fights in octagon history without being put down.

Poirier, who was one of the few fighters to stagger Holloway in the octagon in their epic Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 236 in April 2019, struggles to see Topuria doing what so many others before him couldn’t.

“To go out there and one-punch Max is going to be almost impossible, I think,” Poirier said on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. “It can happen, for sure. But I don’t think it will.”

Poirier will be working as a desk analyst for UFC 308 alongside Brendan Fitzgerald, Chael Sonnen and Din Thomas. He is leaning toward Holloway leaving with the belt in the highly anticipated encounter, but said it would be a tremendous statement from Topuria if he can get the job done.

“This is a big test,” Poirier said. “If he goes in there and beats Max or lasts with Max in the volume game and outpoints him, outfights him technically on the feet – that’s going to say so much about Ilia and where he’s going to go.

“I can’t pick against Max. I could see Topuria winning, but just Max, the experience and the championship fights he’s been in.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

ABU DHABI – UFC featherweigth champion Ilia Topuria is challenging Max Holloway to meet in the middle of the octagon, point to the ground, and throw down in his signature style. However, he doubts that will happen.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) makes his first title defense this Saturday in the main event of UFC 308. He takes on former champion Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in a heated and highly anticipated matchup. Both Topuria and Holloway teased of a brawl in the middle of the octagon, but Holloway said at Wednesday’s media day that he’s not deserving of a vintage, Holloway shootout.

“To me, I don’t think he deserves,” Holloway said. “You have to earn that, and I don’t think he’s deserved that right.”

Topuria responded by saying that Holloway is actually wary of his knockout power, and that the deserving argument is an excuse to avoid a brawl.

“He’s already backing out,” Topuria said at the UFC 308 media day. “If he brawls with me, he’s already knocked out. He’s already knocked out.

“If I were another type of fighter like Yair Rodriguez or Brian Ortega, he’d say, ‘Of course, I’ll throw down for a few seconds. It’s no big deal.’ He says he’s running a big risk, but what risk is he running? The only thing that makes him relevant is the BMF, which he’s not event putting on the line. I’m the one that’s risking everything. I’m the one that’s putting this belt on the line. I’m the one risking it all. And even then, he doesn’t want to do it. Why? Ask him. Go slide a note under his door.”

Holloway also accused Topuria of being a copycat to Conor McGregor, to which Topuria also had a response.

“He doesn’t even know what to say anymore,” Topuria said. “Why doesn’t he talk about what we’re here to do? Which is the fight. That’s because he doesn’t see any flaws i me. He doesn’t know where to grab from. He knows I’m much better than him, and now he has to resort to other things, just like when Conor (McGregor) was saying I wasn’t Spanish. Because I don’t have any flaws as a fighter, and I’m much better than them, they go to that. But we’ll see on Saturday, he shows up, and I’m shutting his mouth.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Slot has also emulated legendary Liverpool boss Bill Shankly by winning his first three European matches as manager.

Liverpool’s impressive start to the season includes wins against Manchester United, AC Milan and Chelsea.

There are some big tests on the horizon. As well as Arsenal, they have matches against German champions Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City between now and 1 December.

“This is a team on a brilliant run with some players playing well, but it’s clear more improvements will come,” said Nevin.

“If you are having this sort of run and nowhere near peaking yet, that’s real good news.

“Arne Slot’s aware of it. There’s more to come from this team, but you wouldn’t think so from the results.”

After the Leipzig game, Slot said his players must be proud after achieving the “almost impossible” feat of setting new club records.

Like Klopp, Slot is aware he will be judged on the number of trophies he brings to Anfield – not records.

“Records are nice, but other things are nicer than records and you know what I mean by that – trophies,” Slot said.

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is finally here.

This Saturday, UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, headlined by the featherweight title fight that has captured the interest of the entire MMA world. On top of that, a five-round middleweight showdown between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev will finally take place. With all that going down, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew is back to break down all the fights.

This week, Jed runs solo, breaking down all the key aspects of this Saturday’s card. Topics discussed include whether Topuria can back up all his trash talk, whether Chimaev can finally earn a title shot, whether Magomed Ankalaev can convince the UFC he deserves a shot at Alex Pereira, and much more.

Tune in for episode 105 of No Bets Barred.

New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.

It didn’t take long for the UFC’s matchmaking team and brass to make a decision on Jake Hadley after his third loss in four fights.

Hadley will have to work his way back to the UFC after an upset loss on the main card at UFC Fight Night 245 this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hadley announced the news on social media Wednesday, but made a point to say his contract was up, and he “wasn’t cut.”

Hadley (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was the biggest favorite on the card at more than 6-1 against Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who took the fight on just a few days’ notice after Brady Hiestand pulled out. But Smotherman outworked him over 15 minutes for a unanimous decision.

“I wasn’t cut my contract came to an end,” Hadley posted on social media. “took 2 big risks my last 2 fights being a company man and it bit me on the arse. Took block head on a weeks notice but missed the weight which was obviously held against me then took cam on 3 days notice after originally training for a wrestling based opponent I understand cam didn’t do a camp but everyone’s ready always for 3x5s cmon I proven that vs block head took the fight on baby’s due date because fight was offered and didn’t wanna say no to the ufc and be a company man but ohh well if I choose to work my way back to the UFC I know I can do that again no problem.”

https://twitter.com/jakehadleymma/status/1849179246129746417

Hadley won the Cage Warriors flyweight title in late 2020. Ten months later, he took a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series and earned his way into the UFC – even though he missed weight.

After a loss in his promotional debut, he won back-to-back fights against Carlos Candelario and Malcolm Gordon, the latter of which was a 61-second knockout worth an extra $50,000.

But then came consecutive losses to Cody Durden and Charles Johnson at flyweight, and he missed weight when he moved up to bantamweight for a fight with Caolan Loughran earlier this year, which he referenced in his post.

The Smotherman loss was the nail in the coffin of the 28-year-old Brit’s UFC tenure for now.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones might not be likely, but it is possible, at least so says PFL Chairman Donn Davis.

This past weekend, Ngannou made his long-awaited return to MMA, stopping Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL Superfights: Battle of the Giants. The bout was Ngannou’s first fight for the PFL and vaulted “The Predator” back into the MMA Fighting Global Rankings to the No. 2 spot at heavyweight. It also re-ignited talk of the now-lost Ngannou vs. Jon Jones superfight that captivated fan imaginations for years. But for the PFL Chairman, that matchup may not be as lost as many believe.

“I’m a pretty optimistic guy,” Davis told MMA Fighting during a Town Hall on Wednesday. “I’m a realist from a business standpoint, but I’m always optimistic. Even Jon Jones’s Tweets struck me as very interesting. … That’s a lot different than the last three years. That’s a lot different than the last three years between those two guys.

“So for me, I’m an optimistic, can-do guy. To me, it hasn’t happened in the past but the future is the future.”

Ngannou and Jones teased a possible fight with each other for over a year when both men were in the UFC, but the bout never came to fruition. After Ngannou left the promotion in 2023 to sign with the PFL, Jones then finally made his move up to heavyweight, claiming the vacant UFC title by beating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.

But despite now fighting for different promotions, the heat between Ngannou and Jones never fully dissipated, with the two even having an impromptu face off at a PFL event last year. And though UFC CEO Dana White is staunchly opposed to co-promotion and has repeatedly dismissed the idea of working with the PFL for this, Davis thinks the odds are better than you might think.

“If I was a betting person, if you gave me even odds, no,” Davis said. “Even odds are is it likely? Is that a good bet? No. But if you gave me four to one? I would take those odds. I would take that bet. So do I think it’s possible? Yes. Likely? No.

“And do I think, since it’s the biggest fight that could ever be made in MMA in perhaps the last or next decade, that’s why I think it’s possible. Because it’s so big and it’s so thrilling. And sometimes people say, ‘What the eff. We’re going to find a way to do it. Let’s find a way to do it.’ So that’s why I think it’s possible.”

And while a co-promotion between the UFC and PFL does seem extremely unlikely, there is one thing that can always change the equation: money. Dana White is notoriously opposed to MMA fighters crossing over into boxing, but famously allowed Conor McGregor to do so against Floyd Mayweather for one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

Something similar could happen here, Davis suggests, especially with the the involvment of Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia. Alalshikh has invested heavily in combat sports over the past few years, and already has relationships with both promotions, and has shown a desire to make the biggest fights possible. Given that, Davis believes that anything is possible.

“I have a ton of respect for Dana,” Davis said. “He built the entire industry. Does he want to be part of the biggest fight in 10 years, that he made happen? Turki is the biggest man in combat sports. Could he make the biggest fight happen? Sure. I just think there’s a lot of cool stuff that could happen here. I’m the least important guy here. Turki and Dana are the most important guys here. I’m just the guy that said yes.”