Shara Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 2-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 89-81-3

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan UFC 308 preview

Off to a 3-0 start in his UFC tenure, Magomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is yet to taste defeat in his career. A win here would give Magomedov is third win of 2024. … Petrosyan (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Rodolfo Vieira this past February. Prior to that setback, he’d won two fights in a row.

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan expert pick, prediction

Despite having fights like Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki on the prelims, the matchmakers decided to kick off the paid portion of the card with a middleweight matchup between Magomedov and Petrosyan.

I get that this should be a stand-up affair on paper, I’m just still having a hard time with the fact that the UFC is trying to shove “Shara Bullet” down our throats.

Aside from looking like a James Bond villain who can throw kicks with solid power, there isn’t much to speak of when it comes to well-rounded skills or a depth of process from Magomedov.

Petrosyan, on the other hand, is a more consistent and proven commodity inside the cage.

The Armenian may not wield the same flash or flare as Magomedov, but Petrosyan possesses solid fundamentals that allow him to get off offense at a decent clip.

Petrosyan also appears to be the better grappler by a decent stretch, which is more than enough for me to side with him in this spot.

The pick is Petrosyan by unanimous decision.

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the more hyped product, listing Magomedov -168 and Petrosyan +136 via FanDuel.

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Magomedov and Petrosyan are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 2:15 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Lerone Murphy and Dan Ige meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 2-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 89-81-3

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige UFC 308 preview

Since fighting to a draw in his UFC debut in 2019, Murphy (14-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) has rattled off six wins in a row and remained unbeaten. He’s coming off the biggest win of his career in May, when he won a five-round main event vs. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision in the Fight of the Night. … Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) has a sub-.500 record since 2020, although he remains a tough out when he’s on top of his game. He’s coming off a unanimous decision loss to Diego Lopes this past June, when he took the fight on hours’ notice at UFC 303.

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige expert pick, prediction

Between not giving Ige the spot he wanted on the UFC’s Sphere show to making him fly across the world to take on an undefeated contender with little-to-no name value, it doesn’t exactly feel like Ige’s getting rewarded for making one of the most gangster walks in the promotion’s history back at UFC 303 earlier this year.

That said, Ige has never been a walkover for anyone, and I suspect he’ll make a good account for himself regardless of the result here.

It would probably serve Ige well to go more to the body and counter in this fight, but I’m betting that the Hawaiian has a solid game plan coming into this contest considering he has Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick in the corner.

Speaking of which, I’m too biased toward the Ige side due to my ties to his camp and corner, so don’t expect too much objectivity from me in this section.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m incredibly impressed with Murphy, who deserves to be the favorite and will likely have a bright future in this sport. I just can’t help but biasedly back Ige in this spot.

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the English fighter, listing Murphy -300 and Ige +225 via FanDuel.

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige start time, how to watch

Murphy and Ige are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 2:45 p.m. ET (11:45 a.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Video Details

Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 2-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 89-81-3

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic UFC 308 preview

Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) was on a nine-fight winning streak before a pair of odd results in back-to-back fights – first a draw with Jan Blachowicz for the then-vacant light heavyweight title in December 2022 followed by a no contest against Johnny Walker because of an accidental illegal knee in October 2023. But Ankalaev got back on track in emphatic fashion this past January when he knocked out Walker in their rematch. Now he’s out to prove he’s the rightful No. 1 contender at 205 pounds. … Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) enters the bout reeling from back-to-back stoppage losses against Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka. A serious knee injury in the Blachowicz fight kept Rakic out of action for more than two years.

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic expert pick, prediction

I’m not sure what’s worse: Anakalaev getting skipped over for another title shot or Rakic being booked with the division’s top contender after two consecutive losses and an injury layoff?

Either way, there is some questionable matchmaking under the top two fights of this event.

Rakic is technically 1-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws, beating Marcin Prachnio back on the regional scene. However, it’s difficult to tell what version of Rakic we’ll get given how long it’s been since we’ve seen a dominant performance from the Austrian fighter.

Couple that with the fact that Ankalaev’s wrestling savvy and southpaw stance may limit Rakic’s leg kicks and takedowns, and I can’t help but side with the Russian favorite to roll in this spot.

I like Rakic and wouldn’t mind being wrong, but the pick is for Ankalaev to take a competitive but clear unanimous decision.

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Stipe Miocic doppelganger, listing Ankalaev -385 and Rakic +290 via FanDuel.

Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic start time, how to watch

As the featured bout, Ankalaev and Rakic are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 3:15 p.m. ET (12:15 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has demanded “more” leadership from captain Reece James following his return from injury.

The right-back recovered from hamstring surgery to make his first Chelsea start since December 2023 in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Liverpool but Maresca has challenged his skipper to show greater “personality”.

“I spoke with him and I expect from him more in terms of leadership inside the changing room,” said Maresca.

“He’s on the way, he’s doing well, he’s progressing but I expect more.

“Most of the time, a player thinks that ‘because I am captain I expect that you [the manager] give me more’.

“No, for me because you are the captain you have to give more. You have to give more than the rest.

“I expect it from Reece and his team-mates expect it from him to give always more in terms of leadership.”

James, 24, has progressed from the Chelsea academy to the first team and was appointed captain by Maresca’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino before the 2023-24 season.

The England defender was hampered by injury last season, making 11 appearances, before returning to the side at Anfield in his first competitive game under Maresca, who replaced Pochettino in the summer.

“He’s understanding that we’re expecting more from him,” added Maresca.

“He’s our guy from the academy. It’s one of the reasons why he has to show more in terms of personality.

“He’s a reserved guy. But when you don’t have a proper leader, you need to build that. I think we don’t have a proper leader. We need to build them.

“Reece is one who is on the way but he’s not there. He needs to make an effort.”

No matter what happens with Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, these former champions are proof you can’t keep a good fighter down.

First, let’s talk about Holloway, the current “BMF” champion and former featherweight champion looking to regain the latter title when he takes on the undefeated Ilia Topuria in Saturday’s main event in Abu Dhabi. Holloway had a brilliant run as champion from 2017 to 2019 before running into rival Alexander Volkanovski, a fellow future Hall of Famer that just so happens to be his perfect foil. Holloway’s inability to get one over on Volkanovski seemed to signal the end of his run as 145’s top dog, but he just kept winning tough fights, putting on spectacular performances, and creating viral moments to the point that he forced his way back into the title conversation.

Now we’ll see if Holloway can cap off one of the most feel-good stories we’ve ever seen.

The stakes aren’t quite as high for Whittaker in the co-main event, but he faces a similar challenge as he takes on a gifted opponent who has never tasted defeat. Whittaker faced his own version of Volkanovski in the form of then-champion Israel Adesanya and future champion Dricus du Plessis, two opponents that relegated Whittaker to contender status. But like Holloway, he’s crawled his way back into spitting distance of a title, and an upset of Chimaev will have fans blowing up Dana White’s socials to give “The Reaper” his due.

Everyone should appreciate what Holloway and Whittaker are attempting to achieve here, because no one would have blamed them if they gave up on their championship dreams when they were at their lowest.

In other main card action, No. 1 light heavyweight contender looks to become, uh, even more the No. 1 contender (?) when he fights Aleksandar Rakic, Lerone Murphy meets Dan Ige in a bout with sneaky featherweight title implications, and the popular Shara Bullet opens the main card against Armen Petrosyan.

What: UFC 308

Where: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi

When: Saturday, Oct. 26. The eight-fight preliminary card begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the five-fight main card at 2 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ pay-per-view

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)

Ilia Topuria (1, P4P-4) vs. Max Holloway (3, P4P-T9)

Whether you’re rooting for Max Holloway or not, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can beat Ilia Topuria besides good vibes.

Yes, Topuria beat Alexander Volkanovski and Volkanovski beat Holloway three times, but put aside the MMA math and you’ll see this is a classic case of styles making fights. The “finish fast” mind set Topuria employed against Volkanovski won’t serve him as well against the titanium-chinned Holloway. If Topuria goes too hard in the opening rounds, he could find himself swimming upstream in the championship frames.

It’s on Holloway to make him work though. Holloway’s mixture of high volume and precision will give Topuria headaches, but Topuria’s technical skills are so sharp, he could catch Holloway with some of the same shots that felled Volkanovski. I don’t expect Holloway to go down and stay down, but could Topuria become just the second fighter to knock him down? I see it.

I’m looking past all of the weird side quests Topuria seems determined to talk about and trusting him to be at his best on fight night, because when he’s on, he’s legitimately one of the five best fighters in the world. Topuria can make a huge statement with a convincing win over Holloway and while I don’t expect him to dominate from bell-to-bell, he should come out with a controversy-free decision victory.

Pick: Topuria

Robert Whittaker (4) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (12)

Look, I can’t tell you for sure I didn’t write all those nice things about Robert Whittaker and Max Holloway to soften the blow of me picking against them both. But I’m picking against then both.

Dricus du Plessis wrote the blueprint for bullying Whittaker and as much as Whittaker learned from that loss, I don’t think he he has an answer for the sheer physicality of Khamzat Chimaev. I’ve never hopped off the Chimaev bandwagon, confident in my belief he can beat anyone as long as he makes it to the cage.

As I write this, there’s still plenty of time for Saturday’s co-main event to fall through, but assuming Chimaev makes the walk, I expect his unreal combination of strength, speed, wrestling ability, and raw power to be on full display. We’ll know early if Whittaker is poised to play the spoiler if he can stuff a few Chimaev takedowns and avoid early flurries on the feet. Don’t forget, this is a five-round fight, and if Whittaker takes it past Round 3, Chimaev’s chances of winning decrease exponentially with every passing minute.

So this is a leap of faith of sorts as I’m going with Chimaev to keep his act together and finish Whittaker in the first or second round.

Pick: Chimaev

Magomed Ankalaev (3) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (7)

This is just the ultimate banana peel for Magomed Ankalaev.

Unbeaten in 12 straight fights, Ankalaev is somehow at risk of potentially losing out on what should have been a surefire crack at the light heavyweight title to Aleksandar Rakic, despite Rakic coming off of two straight losses separated by a two-year injury layoff. MMA.

Rakic is a threat, too! He looked sharp in his comeback fight before getting Prochazka’d and if he sticks to the game plan of leg kicks and counter combos, it could be a serious problem for Ankalaev. When Ankalaev fought to a draw with Jan Blachowicz, much of his struggles came as a result of Blachowicz chipping away at his leg for the first three rounds. Then Ankalaev went to his wrestling to turn the fight on its head.

Should he consider focusing on his wrestling to stifle Rakic’s offense? It couldn’t hurt, though the rangy Rakic has shown good takedown defense when he’s had to use it. With only three rounds to work—and more importantly, to impress Dana White—Ankalaev might have to throw caution to the wind and stick to a standup duel.

That won’t be a problem for Ankalaev, a great striker that has strangely been labeled as an unappealing challenger for Pereira despite half of his UFC wins coming by way of knockout. He’ll mix the martial arts to break Rakic’s rhythm if it comes to it, but when it’s time to finish, Ankalaev will let loose with his limbs and take Rakic out.

Pick: Ankalaev

Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige (15)

After several years where he struggled to string together fights, Lerone Murphy is finally in the swing of things and now it’s just a matter of making that brutal climb up the featherweight ladder. Dan Ige is the next logical step, a veteran that has gone the distance with the best of them even if he’s fallen short of proving he’s a top-10 fighter himself.

Murphy showed off an incredible pressure game in his recent win over Edson Barboza, but don’t expect Ige to wilt against the same tactics. “50K” is always in great shape and a hard 15 minutes won’t trouble him in the slightest. I’m guessing we see Murphy mixing up his tactics more, stinging Ige on the feet when he finds an opening and taking him down if the standup exchanges get too hot.

Overall though, I like Murphy to edge out a close striking battle, doing just enough to beat Ige to the punch and prevent him from getting his own offense going. It won’t be easy, but Murphy’s undefeated streak continues.

Pick: Murphy

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Don’t ask me why, I’m expecting so much weirdness in this matchup.

“Shara Bullet” should win this based on his finishing ability and unpredictable movement, but they haven’t given him a layup in Armen Petrosyan. The Russian-Armenian kickboxer specializes in drawn-out, methodical standup fights, which could lead to frustration for Magomedov (and those of us watching at home). Neither fighter has shown an inclination to push the pace, so look forward to long stretches of halfhearted flicks and feints as they work to goad the other man into a mistake.

That said, I can’t shake the thought that this fight will be filled with odd fouls, a restless crowd calling for more action, and maybe even a scoring controversy if we’re lucky. Magomedov brings a huge following with him whenever he steps into the octagon and there’s star potential there, but I remain unconvinced he can impose his will on a fight. Happy to be proven wrong.

Magomedov by decision?

Pick: Magomedov

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