Topuria and Holloway will headline the promotion’s pay-per-view return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this Saturday. It will be featherweight champion vs. BMF champion, as Topuria defends for the first time against Holloway, a former 145-pound titleholder.
Check out the cold open for UFC 308, narrated by Ron Perlman.
Topuria captured the title with a sensational knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to remain undefeated. Holloway delivered one of the most memorable moments in UFC history at April’s UFC 300 event, knocking out Justin Gaethje in the final second of their BMF title fight.
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In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker looks to state his case for a title shot as he faces the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round matchup.
Saturday’s UFC 308 preliminary card gave fans one of the best and bloodiest fights of the year as Rebecki and Orolbai threw down for three rounds, with Orolbai experiencing grisly swelling around his right eye starting in the second round.
Check out Orolbai’s absurd injury below.
After 15 minutes of Rebecki and Orolbai clobbering each other with haymakers on the feet, it was Rebecki who had his hand raised via split decision, with two judges scoring the fight for him 29-28, and the third scoring it 29-28 for Orolbai.
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A decisive shot from Rebeck in Round 3 may have been the moment that swung the bout in his favor.
Either man winning wouldn’t have been surprising. The only shock will be if another fight manages to snag the Fight of the Night award from them.
With the win, Rebecki (20-2) rebounds from a loss to veteran Diego Ferreira, which was the Polish standout’s first setback since 2015. He has now won 17 of his past 18 fights.
Orolbai (13-2-1) loses for the first time in his UFC career after defeating Elves Brener and Uros Medic in previous two octagon outings.
ABU DHABI – UFC 308 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
You can hear from all the UFC 308 winners by checking out their individual post-fight news conferences below.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
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Week 9 of the college football season features a loaded slate of games, and that includes one of the top in-state rivalries in the sport as the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines welcome Jonathan Smith’s Michigan State Spartans to the Big House.
The Spartans are coming off an impressive win over Iowa and made it a point to release a must-see hype video ahead of Saturday’s in-state showdown.
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Meanwhile, in other Week 9 action, No. 21 Missouri has a massive SEC matchup against No. 15 Alabama, while James Franklin’s Penn State team gets set to travel to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers.
Here is a look at the best college football hype videos heading into Week 9 of the season:
“In this state, you’re either green or you’re blue.”
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That is the truth when it comes to the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry, and the Spartans didn’t disappoint with this incredible hype video ahead of their in-state showdown with the Wolverines.
Michigan State does a great job of capturing this huge in-state rivalry with compelling shots and game highlights from battles over the years. Check out the :49 mark, where you can see the famous “Oh, he has trouble with the snap!” moment from the unforgettable finish in the 2015 version of this rivalry.
Michigan State used a perfect mix of current and previous game footage, and it’s impossible not to love the way it was mixed seamlessly together.
That is the message in this must-see hype video, which is narrated by former Mizzou Tiger Brock Olivo, who currently serves as a special teams analyst for the Tigers. Olivo delivers a strong and passionate performance in the video.
Something about hearing the Missouri brotherhood hits different coming from a player who was born and raised in Missouri. The writing was strong in this video, and the way they shot Olivo’s portion was visually exciting.
That is the overlying message in this outstanding hype video from Penn State ahead of its Big Ten showdown against Wisconsin.
This video features exciting narration, this time by CL Shepherd, who played in the NFL and is now a motivational speaker. The video makes you feel like you’re in a huddle with him and he is getting ready to lead you out to battle. The exciting highlights in this video matched Shepard’s energy.
In his return to heavyweight, Nzechukwu (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) was able to overwhelm Barnett (23-9 MMA, 2-3 UFC) by landing a knee to the body, followed by a right hook that sat “Beast Boy” down at the 4:27 mark of Round 1 Saturday at Etihad Arena. Barnett appeared to have sustained an injury during the fight and was carried out of the octagon.
Check out the replay of Nzechukwu’s finish below (via X):
Nzechukwu was able to snap a two-fight losing skid after back-to-back losses to Dustin Jacoby and Ovince Saint Preux. Barnett has now lost two of his past three.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 308 results include:
Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:27
Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
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