What mattered most at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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5
Shara Magomedov’s historic spinning knockout
Shara Magomedov continues to be one of the more compelling rising names in the middleweight division after he took out Armen Petrosyan with the first double spinning backfist knockout finish in UFC history.
Magomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has captivated the audience with his unique look and the fact he competes with just one eye. He said prior to the event that Michael Bisping was his inspiration to become UFC champion, and if he keeps delivering performances like this, he might be well on his way.
The issue is how the UFC can use Shara “Bullet” going forward. Will there be any Stateside commissions who will be willing to license him for a fight? If so, it’s going to expand his options in a significant way. But if he’s limited to only being on cards in the Middle East or other regions where the UFC self-regulates, then it might stunt his ultimate potential.
Nevertheless, this was a great moment for Magomedov. Was it a top three knockout in company history as UFC CEO Dana White suggest post-fight? Nah. But it is going to live on the UFC highlight reels for years to come.
4
Time to give Magomed Ankalaev his title shot
There’s not much more to add than the headline of this section. It’s 13 fights unbeaten now for Magomed Ankalaev in the light heavyweight division after his unanimous decision win over Aleksandar Rakic, and although it wasn’t the most thrilling contest, it wasn’t for a lack of trying for the Russian.
It would be an extreme injustice if Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) got passed over for the next fight with Alex Pereira, and the official end of meritocracy in the UFC. You can make an argument that time ended long ago, but it’s the right fight to make, and an actually compelling affair for Pereira.
Hopefully the UFC does the right thing here, and White suggested it would when I asked him about it at the post-fight press conference.
3
Khamzat Chimaev makes his title statement
Khamzat Chimaev delivered the pinnacle performance of his career when he absolutely ran through Robert Whittaker by first-round submission to leave no doubt about his worth for a title shot.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) showed what happens when he takes care of himself and gets into the cage when he handed Whittaker his first submission defeat since October 2011. It’s going to be much to the dismay of Sean Strickland, but I think at this point you have to give him the next title shot against champion Dricus Du Plessis.
That fight would be nothing short of interesting to watch. How would Chimaev’s brute force stack up against the powerhouse nature of Du Plessis? There’s only one way to find out, and I truly hope the UFC makes it happen.
Although Strickland had been previously assured a title rematch with Du Plessis, the support for him just doesn’t seem to be there from the MMA community at this very moment.
Chimaev wants Du Plessis. The champ made has made it clear he wants Chimaev. And from the UFC’s perspective? Chimaev would likely sell more pay-per-view units at this point in time, and that’s probably going to sway the next booking in his favor.
2
Shock and disbelief for Max Holloway
I don’t know if there’s a fighter in MMA that I’ve attended more fights for than Max Holloway. From a start in the company as a baby-faced 19-year-old to his title coronation against Jose Aldo to his BMF title knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to this opportunity to reclaim the belt and make history against Ilia Topuria on Saturday, the entire adventure is something that I’ve seen from up close.
So given all that, I was at shocked as anyone to see Holloway’s iron chin finally break at the hands of Topuria, who put the Hawaiian down for the first time in his career with strikes courtesy of a third-round knockout. It was crazy to witness, but another reminder that nothing is impossible in this crazy MMA game.
Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC), to the surprise of no one, was pure class in the wake of his defeat. And he admitted this is probably the final chapter in his historic tenure as a featherweight. He is still owner of the BMF belt (despite Topuria claiming otherwise), and said he likes the idea of a permanent move to lightweight going forward.
I think that’s the right call for Holloway. He never looks great when cutting down to 145 pounds, and as he gets older that’s only going to cause him more trouble. It would be nice to see him fully commit to the physical transformation up a division, and there’s no shortage of fun, exciting and significant matchups for him up there.
Holloway made sure to tell everyone “this is not a funeral” after his loss, and as sad as it made many people to see him go down that way, it’s also hard not to be uplifted by his positive spirit.
1
Is Ilia Topuria the 2024 Fighter of the Year?
There have been some competitive races for the Fighter of the Year award within the past decade, but nothing has come close to the head-to-head between Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira in 2024.
Just a few weeks ago many people, myself included, argued Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) had an ironclad case for the distinction after he completed a record-setting third consecutive UFC title defense in a 175-day span with his TKO of Khalil Rountree at UFC 307. It’s been a masterful year for “Poatan,” but boy did Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ever make this a challenging discussion with his sick knockout of Holloway.
If it was any other outcome for Topuria in a winning fashion, be it a submission, decision or more of an underwhelming TKO finish, then Pereira would no doubt be the guy. But he got the ideal outcome when he flatlined Holloway in the third round, putting a bow on a 2024 campaign that saw him become the first to finish Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight to claim the belt at UFC 298 in February, then do what he did to Holloway in his first defense.
The cowardly way out of this would be to give them a co-award, but there can only be one in my opinion. The part of my mind that says not to be a prisoner of the moment still thinks it should be Pereira given his unprecedented run of title defenses, all of which were on short notice and finished by knockout. But Topuria’s work is unprecedented as well, and against superior competition.
Thankfully, we have two months to continue to mull over this debate, and I think an answer will crystallize as we move further away from the immediacy of the results.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
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