ABU DHABI – How does the UFC say no to Alexander Volkanovski?

That’s the question Dana White posed to the media after the conclusion of UFC 308 on Saturday at Etihad Arena.

Of course, White is talking about the next title challenger for UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who furthered his stardom with a massive knockout of Max Holloway in the card’s main event.

After the fight, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) was brought in the cage as UFC commentator Daniel Cormier interviewed Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC). The move isn’t always done by the promotion, but is usually indicative of its future plans when it does occur.

“Volkanovski’s one of those guys,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “We’re not going to say no to Volkanovski.”

The two top featherweights collided back in February and Topuria won by knockout. Volkanovski has not fought since and is currently on a two-fight skid, given that he previously was knocked out in a lightweight title challenge vs. Islam Makhachev.

While other top contenders, such as UFC 308 backup fighter Diego Lopes, have emerged in the title conversation, White indicated Volkanovski’s past as a company man, willing to bail the promotion out of difficult situations has nudged the UFC in his favor.

“He’s been that guy for us any time we needed him,” White said. “He’s been on this run like (Israel) Adesanya and like Alex (Pereira) is on right now. When things don’t go our way and you’ve got to call a guy, Volkanovski has always been that guy. He really was. For him to ask for it, I don’t think anybody in this room is going, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous’ or crazy. Who wouldn’t want to see it again?”

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

There’s a good reason why Robert Whittaker tapped out just a split second after Khamzat Chimaev applied a devastating face crank end their fight at UFC 308.

Following the pay-per-view broadcast, Daniel Cormier showed off a gruesome photo that Whittaker sent him showing off the damage done from Chimaev’s jaw-crushing submission.

“Khamzat Chimaev broke his tooth,” Cormier said about the photo. “Literally dislocated his jaw in a matter of two seconds. It was unbelievable.”

(Warning: UFC 308 photo below is pretty graphic.)

Chimaev’s finish is the first time that Whittaker has ever been submitted in the UFC.

It was a dominant performance from start to finish as Chimaev landed a takedown just seconds into the opening round and he never gave Whittaker a second to breathe. Chimaev was dominant but not impatient as he continued to ensure he maintained control over Whittaker as he did his best to scramble free and get back to his feet.

Again and again, Chimaev kept pulling him back down to the ground while looking to advance his position.

When he finally had full control on Whittaker’s back, Chimaev quickly secured his arms around the former champion’s face to lock up the submission. Chimaev tightened his grip and Whittaker immediately tapped out.

Whittaker apparently told Chimaev in the cage that he suffered a dislocated jaw but it wasn’t until after he got backstage that the full damage was revealed. Obviously, Whittaker will be headed for oral surgery thanks to the nasty submission applied by Chimaev.

The win moved Chiamev to 14-0 in his career and 8-0 in the UFC as he takes another step towards a potential title fight in the middleweight division.

The UFC handed out five bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to one of the most unique finishes in history.

After UFC 308, five fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Abu Dhabi. Check out the winners below.

Fight of the Night: Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai

Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

In one of the bloodiest, goriest fights of the year, Mateusz Rebecki (20-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) pulled an upset and took a split decision from Myktybek Orolbai (13-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC). Orolbai had a massive hematoma around his eye for much of the fight, but was allowed to stay in the hunt. It was back and forth, and bloody as hell for both, but Rebecki sneaked out the split call.

Performance of the Night: Shara Magomedov

Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via TKO (spinning backfist) – Round 2, 4:52

Shara Magomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) delivered one of the most unique finishes in MMA history when he threw a spinning backfist at Armen Petrosyan (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC). No sooner did the first one land, did Magomedov pivot with a second that was on the money for a double dose of disaster for Petrosyan.

Performance of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) – Round 1, 3:34

Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) almost certainly jumped the line past Sean Strickland for a middleweight title shot with Dricus Du Plessis when he obliterated the jaw of former champ Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) with a first-round face crank.

Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 1:34

Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first fighter to knock out former featherweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) when he battered him for a third-round stoppage in the main event.

Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria were both rewarded handsomely for pulling off nigh-impossible feats.

The two headlining bouts of UFC 308 on Saturday produced two of the most shocking finishes in recent memory, with Chimaev submitting Robert Whittaker with a brutal, jaw-breaking submission, and Topuria successfully defending his title in the main event with a third-round knockout of the legendary Max Holloway.

Both fighters were awarded with $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses, UFC CEO Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference.

Chimaev became just the second fighter ever to submit Whittaker and the first since October 2011, before Whittaker was even in the UFC. As for Topuria, he became the first fighter to score a knockout victory over Holloway, a former UFC champion and a veteran of 34 pro bouts.

UFC 308 was an action-packed night and White’s team saw fit to hand out an extra Performance of the Night bonus, this one going to Shara Magomedov, popularly known as “Shara Bullet.”

The undefeated middleweight opened the main card with a thrilling knockout of Armen Petrosyan that saw him throw consecutive spinning backfists to put Petrosyan down for the count.

Fight of the Night went to a preliminary battle between Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai.

Rebecki and Orolbai brutalized each other for three rounds, with Orolbai in particular looking worse for wear as his right eye swelled to a ridiculous size. In the end, Rebecki won a split decision, though both men leave Abu Dhabi with well-deserved bonuses.

One noticeable omission from the bonus list was light heavyweight Ibo Alsan, who needed just 51 seconds to punch out Raffael Cerqueira. Though White said they wouldn’t give out a sixth $50,000 bonus, he assured that Aslan would receive a bonus of an undisclosed amount.

No wonder Robert Whittaker quickly tapped at UFC 308.

Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) sustained serious damage to his jaw and teeth, according to a photograph shared by Daniel Cormier at the tail-end of the pay-per-view broadcast Saturday.

While the exact injury is unclear, the photo shows Whittaker’s front bottom teeth dislodged awkwardly back toward his throat inside his mouth, filled with blood.

The damage sustained came during his first-round submission loss to  Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Eithad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Chimaev immediately dragged Whittaker to the ground and relentlessly smothered him, until he got a grip and squeezed. A face crank resulted in a quick tap from Whittaker, at 3:34 of Round 1.

Check out an image of the damage done (via Daniel Cormier/ESPN MMA broadcast) below:

https://twitter.com/mma_kings/status/1850283514165616754

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