Just days away from his inaugural title defense at 145 pounds, the Georgian-born fighter recently commented that his dream was becoming the UFC’s first ever three-division champion with plans to conquer lightweight and welterweight after already claiming the featherweight title. But as much as he wants that for himself, Topuria admitted on Wednesday that he’s just as ready to take out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as he would be if a rematch against former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is what comes next.
“Before, I used to make more predictions about that — ‘I want to fight this one or that,’” Topuria explained during UFC 308 media day. “But at the end of the day, I want to do my job, which is to show up and fight and we’ll see what the UFC wants me to do.
“If they call me and they want me to move up to the lightweight division, I will be OK with that moving up and be the first one to submit Islam. If they want me to keep on defending that belt in the featherweight division, I will be OK with that, too. Let’s leave that decision to the UFC.”
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There’s always going to be new challenge for a defending champion, but Topuria has the chance to put himself in rarified air if he delivers on his promise to defeat Holloway on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
Considering he already knocked out Volkanovski back in February, Topuria could add another all-time featherweight great to his resume with the upcoming fight against Holloway. That’s certainly not lost on Topuria, who has made a number of bold predictions about his upcoming fight but still maintains respect when it comes to Holloway’s skills and the accolades he’s earned as a 12-year UFC veteran.
“I have all the respect for him,” Topuria said about Holloway. “He’s a great fighter. He has achieved many great things in the sport. You can’t take credit from him. I have learned many, many things from him.
“He called me a fan. Yeah, I followed his career, I’ve been a fan. How can you not be a fan of Max Holloway? He’s been a great example for me but now it’s my time to be that example for the next generation.”
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When it comes to the matchup, Topuria has promised that he plans on becoming the first person to finish Holloway with strikes, which is a nod to his power and precision compared to the Hawaiian’s legendary durability in the cage.
In the past, Holloway has called himself the best boxer on the entire UFC roster but Topuria seemingly takes that as a challenge to prove he’s better.
“In reality, he’s a good striker,” Topuria said. “It’s not only boxer because calling himself the best boxer in the UFC is kind of a shame, I think, because he’s not the best boxer in the UFC. But he’s a good striker.
“He has a lot of experience, he’s very patient inside the octagon. But everyone is good when they can develop a style in the octagon and someone is not putting the pressure on him. On Saturday night, he’s going to feel something he never felt with any other opponents that he had in the past. The pressure he’s going to feel with me, it’s going to be completely different.”
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Topuria also responded to Holloway’s claim that he hasn’t yet earned the right to meet him in the middle of the octagon and use his signature move, which is pointing to the ground and inviting a slugfest to ensue.
Holloway’s argument was that Topuria doesn’t really understand why he’s famously used that move — a gesture to give an opponent who’s about to lose the fight one last chance at redemption — but none of that seems to matter much to the reigning UFC featherweight champion.
He doesn’t need anybody’s permission so Topuria absolutely plans on making that challenge to start his fight with Holloway but that’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve.
“I never asked him if I deserve that or not,” Topuria said in response. “I will be pointing to the ground since the first second of the fight.
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“If he wants to stand with me in the middle, it’s OK and prove he’s the real ‘BMF.’ If he decides [to not do that], it’s OK, too. I’m going to find a different way to finish him and take his head off.”
UFC 308 fight week began with one more fight than it has now.
The bantamweight bout between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos has been canceled, the promotion confirmed Wednesday. The card will continue with 13 bouts, which take place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
Santos (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was “removed” from the bout according to the UFC, though no specific reason for the removal was cited. It’s Santos’ second-straight withdrawal.
Though he hasn’t competed since June 2023, Santos currently rides a two-fight winning streak consisting of victories over John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz.
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Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has not competed since October 2023 when he bounced back into the win column with a 73-second submission victory over Muin Gafurov.
With the removal, the UFC 308 fight card includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)
Champ Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos
Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
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.
Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 308 main card at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Rakic is aware of what’s at stake with a win. Many think Ankalaev is the rightful No. 1 contender who was passed up by Khalil Rountree for a shot at light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307.
“What makes me really happy is that the UFC gave me Ankalaev, and I honestly believe that if I didn’t put a good fight at UFC 300 – it doesn’t matter the result, I would never get that fight,” Rakic told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day.
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“When I got the fight against Ankalaev, the name, I immediately said yes because he’s No. 2 ranked behind Jiri Prochazka, who lost twice to Pereira, so this is the best matchup for me. Stylistically it’s going to be a better matchup for me than Jiri Prochazka.”
Although Rakic is coming off back-to-back losses to Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka, Chael Sonnen thinks Rakic is a dangerous fight for Ankalaev. According to DraftKings, Rakic is a +285 underdog, and the 32-year-old is ready to play spoiler.
“It’s time to remind the fans, the people, and the UFC who ‘The Rocket’ is back in the days,” Rakic said. “I’m ready to crash the party on Saturday and to mix things up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis joins a special town hall with the MMA Fighting community.
Following Saturday’s PFL Battle of the Giants event in Saudi Arabia — which saw Francis Ngannou close the show with a ferocious first-round knockout of Renan Ferreira — joins MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck as he answers question live from the viewers.
Join the show live Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. You can begin submitting your questions in the video link above.
He hasn’t found the end zone much, but otherwise, Raiders first-round pick Brock Bowers is on course to have the best season ever for a rookie tight end.
Bowers, the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, leads all NFL tight ends in catches (47) and yards (477), though he has only one touchdown in his first seven NFL games. Those prolific numbers put him on pace to shatter the league’s rookie tight end records. He’s in line to get 1,158 receiving yards, breaking Mike Ditka’s record of 1,076, set way back in 1960, and he’s on pace for 114 catches, which would obliterate the rookie record of 86 set last year by the Lions‘ Sam LaPorta.
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The high volume of passes headed Bowers’ way makes him a rare tight end who is truly his offense’s No. 1 target, especially since the Raiders traded receiver Davante Adams to the Jets. Across the league, only three other tight ends are leading their teams in catches and receptions: the 49ers‘ George Kittle, the Patriots‘ Hunter Henry and the Cardinals‘ Trey McBride.
Bowers isn’t just leading all NFL tight ends in catches and receiving yards, he has 102 more yards and 13 more catches than Kittle, who is second in both. He’s in great shape to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie — and would be the third rookie tight end in four years to do so, following LaPorta last year and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts in 2021. What’s wild is there was just one rookie tight end who made the Pro Bowl in the 30 years before that — the Giants‘ Jeremy Shockey in 2002.
Besides Bowers, the 2024 class of rookie tight ends is incredibly unremarkable. The rest of them combined have 544 yards, barely more than Bowers has himself. They collectively have three touchdown catches, well down from the past two years, when rookie tight ends had 26 touchdown catches each season.
The jewel of this year’s undrafted rookies is easily Steelers nickel corner Beanie Bishop, who has already played 294 defensive snaps for Pittsburgh, more than double any other undrafted player in the league. On Sunday, Bishop did more than just play — he made plays, getting a pair of interceptions off Aaron Rodgers in the Steelers’ prime-time win over the Jets.
“He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback,” Bishop said after the game. “Got a lot of respect for that guy and just to be able to get not one but two of them off of him is crazy.”
Bishop is another case of NFL teams putting too much value on size. He’s just 5-foot-9 and 180 and is 24 as a rookie, which can drop a player on draft boards. He had a long path to the NFL, with four years at Western Kentucky, one at Minnesota, then a breakout 2023 at West Virginia, getting a team-best four interceptions and leading the nation in passes defended. The Steelers got him for just a $25,000 signing bonus, which is small even by undrafted standards.
How rare is it to pick off Rodgers twice in a game? It’s happened just four other times in his 20-year NFL career. The Saints‘ Jason David did it in 2008, the Bills‘ Bacarri Rambo in 2014, the Giants’ Janoris Jenkins in 2016 and the Lions’ Kerby Joseph in 2022.
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The statistical oddity of the week is that two undrafted rookies — Bishop and the Rams‘ Jaylen McCollough — each had two interceptions on the same day. That’s a first in NFL history. If you include first-year players, it’s happened once before, in 1960, when the Boston Patriots’ Gino Cappelletti and the New York Titans’ Fred Julian both did it on Oct. 16. McCollough is now tied for the rookie lead with three interceptions for the year, putting him even with Texans safety Calen Bullock.
History of 1-2 rookie QB showdown
Jayden Daniels‘ health status due to a rib injury could jeopardize a much-awaited showdown of the draft’s top two picks as Daniels and the Bears‘ Caleb Williams are scheduled to meet on Sunday.
These 1-2 showdowns aren’t always indicative of future success. A year ago, Bryce Young and the Panthers beat C.J. Stroud and the Texans in a Week 7 meeting, with Young throwing for 235 yards and a touchdown and Stroud throwing for 140. In 2021, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars lost to Zach Wilson and the Jets in another 1-2 meeting, with Wilson rushing for 91 yards and a score and throwing for 102 and another score.
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Most lopsided such head-to-head rookie game in recent years? In 2015, the Bucs‘ Jameis Winston and the Titans‘ Marcus Mariota opened their careers against each other. Mariota went 13-for-15 with four touchdowns in a 42-14 rout that was 35-7 at halftime, while Winston had two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Rookie tidbits
In the first six weeks of this season, no team got more than 287 offensive and defensive snaps from rookies in a game, but in Week 7, four teams had at least that many. The Saints had 317, Rams had 312, the Giants had 292 and the Chargers had 287. … This year’s rookie running back class has shown flashes, but it’s telling that the top two rookie rushers in Week 7 were quarterbacks: Denver’s Bo Nix (75) and Daniels (50). And Daniels played only 10 snaps before his injury. … Undrafted rookie with the most offensive snaps? Saints receiver Mason Tipton, a Yale grad who has 85 receiving yards on the season. … It’s not as telling as sacks, but in terms of official quarterback hits, the leading rookie is the Rams’ Jared Verse, with nine. Second is the Bucs’ Chris Braswell, a second-round pick who has six on the season.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
ABU DHABI – UFC 308, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island with a main card that airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.
The BKFC superstar and former UFC fighter addressed his recent DUI arrest publicly for the first time on his podcast after he was taken into custody on Oct. 12 after being stopped by police in Florida. Perry was detained and later released on $1,500 bail but body cam footage showed the 33-year-old bare-knuckle veteran berating the officers and calling them homophobic slurs as he was being arrested.
“I want to say I’m sorry for talking to those guys like that,” Perry said. “I was a little pissed off at the moment. They were hurting my wrists and my shoulders. I’m not going to fight no cops. I’m definitely not. Go ahead and take me away.
“I’m not doing your sobriety test because I can’t stand on one foot anyway. I have no balance. I’m not going to play your games. I cussed them out but I apologize for that. I guess I was just driving a little too fast.”
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After he was stopped by police for allegedly driving “approximately” 20 miles-per-hour over the speed limit, Perry denied that he was drinking alcohol and then declined to take the sobriety test offered by the arresting officers.
The original police report stated that Perry also refused to take the breath test and he wouldn’t sign the DUI citation, which earned him a second misdemeanor charge in addition to driving under the influence.
Perry was eventually released on bail and his next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 in Florida.
While he’s dealt with legal issues in the past, Perry had largely avoided any trouble in recent years but his arrest landed him back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
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“I do want to do better,” Perry said. “I do want to be an influence to the younger generation. Someone my children can look up to but I also want to be fun. That doesn’t mean you have to break the law. I wasn’t trying to do that. I just want to be a good yin and yang.”
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