ABU DHABI – Max Holloway lost by knockout for the first time in his career Saturday at UFC 308, but in no way did it change his typical way of handling defeats with grace.

Shortly after his third-round defeat to Ilia Topuria, Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) took the podium backstage at Etihad Arena to field questions from reporters. As Holloway spoke, it seemed he’d already separated the emotion of the moment from his analysis.

“I felt great. I was finding my groove,” Holloway told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “You saw on the scoreboards after, I was kind of surprised. I thought I had at least one of them. In the first round, I know he took me down. Then at the ending he had that takedown. It is what it is. It felt good showing off my hands. I was landing. I was moving fast. I think I had him surprised in there. Like I said, I was doing well until I wasn’t. … Game of inches, man. Game of inches. He landed something that I found myself looking at him, up from the ground. It is what it is.”

Holloway said his weight cut was one of his best at featherweight, but a shift to lightweight might still be in order. The failed title bid Saturday was his fourth featherweight title fight loss in a row. Holloway is allured by the clearer paths to gold, fresher matchups, and lesser weight cut at 155 pounds.

“We’re all going to sit down with the team, relax. There’s nothing needed to be rushing back to right now. But I can try coming back in the summer, the big July card, right, in Vegas? Do something. We’ll see what happens. I mean, 155 looks really good right now. … Like I said, I had the best 145 cut here. But what else is there to do? I had a couple times to reclaim it. New guys coming up. Yeah, that’d be fun. But I think 155 looks more fun, fighting more, the caliber, everyone there, and the names there, it looks really exciting to put my name in the mix.”

After all the questions had been asked, Holloway thanked media members in the room – and also took it upon himself to leave them with one last parting message.

“You guys are going to see me back,” Holloway said. “It’s not a funeral. I promise.”

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

The UFC 308 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the Octagon, and we have the live video above at MMAFighting.com.

UFC officials will announce the winners of the “Fight of the Night” and the “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and winning fighters will meet the media after their fights.

The UFC 308 post-fight press conference takes place about 30 minutes after the main event ends, meaning it will start around 5 p.m. ET.

Watch Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway full fight video highlights from their UFC 308 main event showdown Sunday night, courtesy of multiple outlets.

Topuria vs. Holloway took place Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ilia Topuria (16-0) and Max Holloway (26-8) squared off in the the main event clash. The fight aired live on pay-per-view on ESPN+.

Catch all the video highlights below.

For more on Topuria vs. Holloway, check out our live blog below.

Round 1

Marc Goddard on hand for the main event.

Topuria points down to the center as promised and Holloway just shrugs him off. He ain’t biting on that. Front kick to the body by Topuria, he looks a lot taller in there. Topuria leading with his jab, he wants to utilize his speed to pressure Holloway. Topuria shoots in and scoops Holloway into the air before planting him down. Impressive.

Holloway out of danger without too much trouble. He sprints forward and Topuria catches him with a right. Holloway hits a jab and circles away. Good leg kick by Topuria, Holloway felt that one. Right hand over the top by Topuria, his hands are as fast as advertised. Another good leg kick by Topuria.

Topuria’s jab getting through. Holloway tags the champ with a jab. Knee to the body for Holloway. Topuria overextends and eats a 1-2. Holloway steps in with a short right and then backs off. He’s found the range. Topuria scores with a right hand and Holloway goes down, looked like a slip or trip though. We’ll have to see how that one is scored. If it’s not a knockdown, I’m leaning Holloway.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Holloway.

Round 2

Quick right by Holloway right out the gate. His jab is working right now. Holloway doubles up on the jab and then pokes the body. Topuria coming forward with punches now. Overhand right lands for the champion.

Holloway slows him with another jab. Topuria lands a glancing right, but then follows with a heavy left. They trade clean punches. Chins are being tested here. Left hand by Holloway. Another power left scores for Topuria. Right hand for Holloway. This is getting gooooooood.

Cracking body shot by Topuria. Holloway flicking jab to counter a Topuria leg kick. Holloway smacks him with a right hand. Body kick by Holloway, using his length well. Slapping left from Holloway as Topuria kicks his leg. Good straight right from Topuria. Spin kick to the body by Holloway scores.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Holloway. Overall, 20-18 Holloway.

Round 3

Jab by Topuria has Holloway hopping back. Holloway driving leg kicks in. Topuria leads with a left to the body, Holloway counter left and circle away. Short uppercut from Topuria stops Holloway coming in. BIG RIGHT by Topuria and Holloway was stunned. That would have finished almost anyone else. He still looks rattled.

Topuria presses forward and unleashes power punches, monster left hand and MAX HOLLOWAY IS DOWN.

Follow-up ground-and-pound, Goddard is giving Holloway a chance but these are damaging shots. He has to call it, Topuria has FINISHED Holloway.

Unreal.

ABU DHABI – Ilia Topuria not only retained his status as UFC featherwieght champion, but he also won a new title, according to him.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first man to stop former UFC champion Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC), as he knocked out the gritty Hawaiian in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 308. Holloway entered the 145-pound championship fight coming off a knockout win over Justin Gaethje, which won him the BMF (Baddest Motherf*cker) title.

The BMF belt was not officially on the line, but Topuria doesn’t care either way. He sees himself as a two-belt title holder.

“I never understand why they didn’t put the BMF title on the line,” Topuria told reporters at the UFC 308 post-fight press conference. “It has to be on the line since the first day. But hey, don’t want to make it official? I’m going to make it official by myself.

“Now I’m the new ‘Baddest Motherf*ker’ world champion.”

Although he shocked many with his performance, Topuria expected to stop Holloway. The only thing he did find surprising is that when he ponted to the ground, Holloway didn’t engage with him in his signature brawl.

“That surprised me that I pointed to the ground, and he didn’t stop in the middle of the octagon,” Topuria said. “He started some bullsh*t like this. You called yourself the bull. When you called me out, you said, ‘I’m the bull and ‘The Matador’ is running from me.’ You never see a bull doing this. That surprised me a little bit, so I had to change the game plan a little bit. But at the end of the day, I get the knockout.”

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

Dana White promises that Francis Ngannou is the last thing on his mind.

Despite not working together for nearly two years, the UFC CEO and the former heavyweight champion rarely escape questions about each other. The latest fracas started after White revealed that he wanted to cut Ngannou after he suffered back-to-back losses in the UFC in 2018.

That earned a response from Ngannou, who called his former boss a “bully” and added that White is probably “praying for my downfall” while also claiming that the UFC actually owes money that was promised to him after wins over Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic.

“When have you ever heard a story in all the years we’ve been in business, even when it was upside down, where we owed somebody money? Never happened,” White said about Ngannou’s claims at the UFC 308 post-fight press conference. “So he’s full of shit there.

“Then, I lost? I didn’t lose anything. I was done with Francis after the [Derrick Lewis fight]. Actually, he owes me money because we had to watch that fight with him and ‘The Black Beast.’ He should actually pay me back for that fight and all of you. Me praying [for his downfall] — trust me, I don’t think about Francis that much. You guys ask me the question about the PFL and I responded. Other than that, the only one who’s praying for his demise is probably the PFL because they signed a shitty contract with a guy that doesn’t deliver any numbers and ticket sales or pay-per-views. They’ve got to keep paying this guy for however long and good for him. Not good for them.”

As much as White maintained that he absolutely wanted to release Ngannou from the UFC roster, there’s no denying that he bounced back from those losses and eventually won the heavyweight title. Ngannou’s run with the UFC ended after six straight wins including victories over four ex-champions.

But White says the issues he had with Ngannou had nothing to do with his talent as a fighter but rather personal problems between them that spiraled out of control. While he didn’t reveal the nature of their fallout, White explained that his relationship with Ngannou was never the same again.

“Someday, I’ll tell you the story. I was all about Francis in the beginning and then I found out who Francis was,” White said. “I told the two guys who asked me not to cut Francis when somebody shows you who they are, believe them. Believe me, I have no sleepless nights over Francis leaving.

“I didn’t like Francis as a person. It wasn’t a guy I wanted to do business with. My boys were telling me he’s misunderstood. I told them when somebody shows you who they are, believe them. It wasn’t about him becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Francis isn’t a good guy. He plays the good guy. ‘I don’t understand the language’ so he seems like he’s a nice guy. He’s not, and he’s just not a guy I wanted to be in business with, period. End of story. Whether he became the champion or not.”

Ngannou obviously left in free agency before booking a pair of boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before finally making his PFL debut with a win over Renan Ferreira.

He remains under contract with the PFL but has also hinted at a potential return to boxing in the future.

No matter where he goes next, White promises there’s no word where he ever gets back in business with Ngannou again.

“We won’t be. We’ll never be in business together,” White said. “You can tell. We don’t like each other. This goes back to before the first Stipe fight. He pulled some shit before the first Stipe fight, and I said I’m done with this guy and then Stipe beat the shit out of him. Great night. We never had a relationship after that.”

It’s safe to say that White won’t be bending over backwards to present Ngannou with any opportunities and that includes a potential fight against UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

While that’s a matchup that White desperately wanted to see once upon a time, that’s no longer and option and if Jones is going to fight anybody after he faces Miocic at UFC 309, it certainly won’t be Ngannou.

“He didn’t want that fight,” White said about Ngannou facing Jones. “He could have stayed and took that fight. He didn’t want that fight. Tom Aspinall deserves that fight.”

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