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Dana White expects Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 next: ‘Who wouldn’t want to see it again?’

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Dana White expects Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 next: ‘Who wouldn’t want to see it again?’

Ilia Topuria likely has a familiar foe awaiting him for his second title defense.

After becoming the first person to knock out Max Holloway in a stunning performance to cap off UFC 308 on Saturday, the reigning UFC featherweight champion came face-to-face with the man he beat to win the belt. Alexander Volkanovski made his way into the cage following Topuria’s win and the former opponents shared a few kind words for each other in anticipation of an expected rematch.

While UFC CEO Dana White typically doesn’t like to play matchmaker on the same night of an event, he says it’s almost certain that Volkanovski gets the chance to run it back with Topuria next.

“Listen, Volkanovski’s one of those guys, we’re not going to say no to Volkanovski,” White said at the UFC 308 post-fight press conference. “He’s been that guy for us. Any time we needed him. He was on this run like [Israel] Adesanya, like Alex [Pereira] is on right now, when things don’t go our way, and you’ve got to call a guy, Volkanovski’s always been that guy. He really was.

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“I don’t think anybody’s in this room going ‘oh this is ridiculous or crazy’ and who wouldn’t want to see it again?”

Volkanovski hasn’t fought since he suffered a knockout loss to Topuria back in February in the fight that cost him the featherweight title. That actually served as his second consecutive knockout loss after Volkanovski fell to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in similar fashion after he accepted a short-notice fight with hopes of winning a second title.

Instead, Volkanovski ate a brutal head kick in the first round that ended his night. Four months later, Topuria dished out the same result. Afterwards, Volkanovski was told he could get a rematch when he was ready to compete again and it appears the UFC is following through on that promise.

There’s no timeline when the fight might happen, although Volkanovski was pushing to return at the upcoming UFC 312 card scheduled for Australia in February. Prior to his win on Saturday, Topuria shot down any hope that he would defend his title in enemy territory so it remains to be seen when or where the rematch against Volkanovski happens.

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With a perfect 16-0 record that now includes wins over two of the greatest featherweights of all time in Volkanovski and Holloway, Topuria is already entering rarified area when it comes to his career. A second win over Volkanovski would separate Topuria even further from his peers at 145 pounds.

“We were just talking in the back. As you start to clip off legend after legend after legend, you eventually become a legend,” White said about Topuria. “Both guys looked great tonight. Max came in with the right game plan. I think the early calf kicks added up and took their toll later in the fight. Those things are so devastating when people throw them the right way. He couldn’t have fought a better fight.

“[Topuria] took some big shots himself. Has the chin, kept coming forward, incredible performance by both guys. But Topuria did something that nobody’s ever done before.”

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Sportsound reaction as Celtic & Rangers win after Edinburgh derby draw

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Scottish Football Podcast - Sportsound : Pressure mounts for Hearts and Naismith after eighth successive defeat. Plus Rangers and Aberdeen reach Hampden.



Reaction to the Edinburgh derby followed by Motherwell v Celtic and Rangers v St Mirren.



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UFC 308: Official scorecards from Abu Dhabi

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UFC 308: Official scorecards from Abu Dhabi

Check out the official scorecards from all 11 bouts at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

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Topuria vs. Holloway updates, results of every fight

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Topuria vs. Holloway updates, results of every fight

UFC 308 takes place Saturday, and you can join us for live round-by-round coverage and official results beginning at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT). UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

In the headliner, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) puts his title on the line for the first time when he takes on former champ Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC). In the co-feature, Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) meets former champ Robert Whittaker (27-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) to determine the next top contender at middleweight.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 10 a.m. ET for the prelims on ESPN+ and 2 p.m. ET for the main card on pay-per-view.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

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UFC 308 lineup

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)

  • Ibo Aslan vs. Rafael Cerqueira
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
  • Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
  • Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva

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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Alexander Volkanovski impressed by Ilia Topuria, eyes rematch

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Alexander Volkanovski impressed by Ilia Topuria, eyes rematch

Alexander Volkanovski calls next.

Minutes after UFC 308‘s main event Saturday saw Ilia Topuria become the first to knock out Max Holloway, the previous featherweight titleholder was in the cage.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) said the idea to be seen next to the freshly victorious Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was all his. He wanted the world to know who is the next 145-pound title challenger.

“I told the UFC I wanted to go in,” Volkanovski told ESPN. “They let me do that, so I appreciate that. Dana (White), Hunter (Campbell), thank you. At the same time, he goes, ‘I want to let him (have his moment. I’ll give him his moment. I’ll be respectful because his family is in there.’ I’m like, ‘Mate, I’ve been respectful. I’ve been getting along. I’ve been hugging his family the whole time. We’re good. I’m going to go in there, give him his moment, but at the same time let everyone know what we’re doing, just build that fight up a little bit, just enough to let everyone know I’m next. But at the same time, give him his respect.’”

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With the UFC headed to Sydney in February and potentially debuting in Spain later in 2025, it’s unclear where the promotion will place this rematch. Whether it’s home soil or enemy territory, you can count Volkanovski in.

“I’d love it,” Volkanovski said. “They’re talking about Madrid, the stadium and all that. Of course. Everyone knows I don’t mind being in enemy territories. I think I’ll be well-loved anyway, maybe. I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll probably still get booed. At the same time, he deserves to fight where he wants to. It’s just the timing.”

According to comments made by Dana White after UFC 308, however, it does appear the rematch between Topuria and Volkanovski will indeed be the next fight.

Despite their trash talk in the lead-up to their first bout in February, which Topuria won by knockout, Volkanovski said there’s a lot of mutual respect underneath any fight promotion put forth by the champion.

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“(The win over Holloway was) impressive,” Volkanovski said. “The fight was sort of going. I knew the first couple of rounds were going to be competitive. Then, I thought maybe Max would start using that experience and maybe start to slow Ilia. But Ilia ended up finding the finish in the third round which is impressive. No one has ever done that. He said he was going to do it in the first.

“But no matter what round you do it in, that’s impressive. Because no one has done that to Max. You’ve got to give all respect to Ilia to go out there and do that. I went in there, shook hands with the bloke and wanted to give him his moment, but let him know that I’m next. Let’s just find that day. … Nothing but respect for him and well done. But he’s a solid, dude, man. He’s a respectable dude.

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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UFC 309 full fight card announced

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UFC 309 full fight card announced

The UFC 309 fight card is almost complete.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones squares off against former UFC champion Stipe Miocic in the main event. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall serves as a backup for the two legends.

The co-main event features former UFC champion Charles Oliveira in a rematch against Michael Chandler, who gave up on his quest to face Conor McGregor. Oliveira defeated Chandler via second-round TKO at UFC 262 on May 15, 2021.

Here is the UFC 309 main card, which is televised exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view, below:

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Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva

Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig

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Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders

The only fight still to be finalized is the top preliminary bout that was scheduled to feature Mauricio Ruffy, who still needs an opponent. The UFC 309 prelims will possibly feature eight fights.

Mauricio Ruffy vs. TBD

Nikita Krylov vs. Azamat Murzakanov

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Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee

Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson

David Onama vs. Lucas Almeida

Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

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Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott

Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura

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Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks down why Lions’ Offense is so good | FOX NFL Sunday

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Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks down why Lions



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Amon-Ra St. Brown discussed why the Detroit Lions’ offense has been so potent. Additionally, he talked about how important QB Jared Goff and RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have been for his success.

13 MINS AGO・fox nfl kickoff・2:07



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