Ilia Topuria did what no one has ever done when he put Max Holloway down and out with a vicious knockout to defend his title and cap off the UFC 308 main event.

It was a stunning performance from the reigning featherweight champion as he dealt with some adversity in moments as Holloway kept after him with a nasty lead jab and showing patience in the exchanges. But it was only a matter of time until Topuria found his opening and it was a huge right hand in the third round that wobbled Holloway and sent him stumbling towards the cage.

Topuria immediately seized on the opening as he rushed forward and unloaded a massive left hook that twisted Holloway’s head around and sent him crashing to the canvas. A few more hammer fists followed but the fight was already over as the referee rushed in to rescue Holloway with the end coming at 1:34 in the third round.

While there was a lot of talk between them beforehand, Topuria paid homage to Holloway in his post-fight interview.

“I don’t know what to say to be honest,” Topuria said following his first title defense. “To beat a legend like Max Holloway, it’s something that I can’t even believe. He inspired me so much in my career. He’s been a great example for the new generation.

“I’ve always said now that I represent the new generation. I hope I’m going to be a small portion of the example for what he’s been for me, for the new generation. All the credit to Max Holloway. He’s the man.”

Prior to the finish, Topuria definitely knew he had a fight on his hand with a back-and-forth battle throughout the first two rounds of the fight.

As the action got started, Topuria actually caught Holloway by surprise with a well-timed takedown but featherweights were quick to get back to the feet. On the restart, Holloway peppered away with a good lead jab and Topuria countered with a nasty calf kick followed by a hard right hand behind it.

Topuria was really loading up with his punches while Holloway showed poise and patience as he continued to operate behind that lead jab. A late flurry allowed Topuria to connect with a solid shot as the fighters stumbled to the floor but the action stalled before the horn sounded to end the round.

While Holloway was still connecting consistently with that same straight punch, Topuria finally started finding a home for his big overhand punches as he dipped inside with no fear of reprisal. He popped Holloway with a hard left and a stiff right as Topuria started gaining some confidence in the exchanges.

Still, Holloway maintained his range and backed out before Topuria could really do the most damage possible with his immense power. In return, Holloway continued chipping away at the champion, which included a heavy right hand that popped Topuria in the jaw.

Almost like he was just biding his time and waiting for the right moment to unleash his true power, Topuria came out aggressive in the third round and he led with those same devastating hooks that put Holloway on notice. As he continued pressing forward, Topuria cracked Holloway with the right hand that spelled the beginning of the end.

With Holloway wobbled, Topuria set up the fight finishing punch as he unleashed the left hand that put the Hawaiian down and out for the first time in his legendary career.

“I caught him with many punches but exactly with that right hand, I felt it,” Topuria said about the knockout. “I just saw it in his face. He started making some steps back. You don’t see that often in Max Holloway. I felt that. My brother told me from the corner keep pushing, keep putting the pressure on him, this is what I did and finally I got the knockout.”

While it obviously wasn’t the result he wanted, Holloway had nothing but praise when addressing Topuria and his performance on Saturday.

“We got ready for everything,” Holloway said. “He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did. I felt great until he did it. That’s this sport. Hats off to him.

“No excuses, I feel great. I had a great camp, no injuries. I went out here, did my thing. He was just the better man tonight. He gave me the name ‘bounce back’ so I’ll see you again, my friend.”

In back-to-back fights, Topuria has now knocked out arguably two of the greatest featherweights in UFC history as he cements his own legacy as champion. Following his win, Topuria was greeted by Alexander Volkanovski in the cage, who is presumably next in line for a rematch with hopes that he can reclaim the title.

Topuria appears more than willing to offer him that opportunity and the same goes for Diego Lopes, who weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 308.

“I want to have both of them,” Topuria said. “I swear to god. We’re going to do it again. [Volkanovski] deserves that. If someone deserve it, it’s him.”

ABU DHABI – Ilia Topuria delivered on his promise of taking out Max Holloway at UFC 308.

Featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first fighter to knock out Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) when he put his lights out at the 1:34 mark of Round 3. The featherweight title bout was the UFC 308 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Just like Topuria promised, he pointed to the ground in the middle of the octagon, but Holloway didn’t oblige. Holloway started his attack with a couple of kicks, as Topuria stalked him. Topuria landed a big combination, finding Holloway’s chin with a left hook. Topuria then mixed things up by taking Holloway down, but couldn’t keep him there. Topuria connected with a right, as he continued to head hunt. Holloway landed a nice teep, followed by a one-two down the middle. With seconds remaining in the round, Topuria dropped Holloway with a left hook and tried to take his back.

In Round 2, Holloway pumped out his jab, while Topuria lunged forward with combinations. Topuria continued to find Holloway’s chin, but Holloway would turn away from his punches without allowing him to connect clean. Holloway landed two counter left hooks, followed by a big right. Both men were having success on the feet, but neither able to stun the other. Holloway capped off Round 2 with his signature spinning heel kick to the body.

Holloway started Round 3 off with a body kick, then a push kick to the thigh. Topuria landed a nice left hook, but Holloway stumbled him with a leg kick. Topuria charged at Holloway with a big overhand right which stunned him, then a left hook which sent him crashing to the canvas. A few follow up shots were able to put Holloway out cold.

AND STILL! ILIA TOPURIA KNOCKS OUT MAX HOLLOWAY 😱 #UFC308@VisitAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/i5jFREYYXC

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 26, 2024

Topuria was greeted by Alexander Volkanovski in the octagon – the man he knocked out to claim the featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria paid Volkanovski respect, and said he’s willing to grant him a rematch.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 308 results include:

• Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via KO (punches) – Round 3, 1:34 – to defend featherweight title
• Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via submission (face crank) – Round 1, 3:34
• Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via TKO (spinning back fist) – Round 2, 4:52
• Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:51
• Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO (knee injury) – Round 1, 1:40
• Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via submission (arm triangle) – Round 3, 3:14
• Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:27
• Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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

Khamzat Chimaev continues his climb to a title shot at UFC 308.

Chimaev remains unbeaten for his pro career with an impressive first-round finish of Robert Whittaker in the co-main event Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

See how the pros reacted to the Chimaev finish below:

Magomed Ankalaev continued his unbeaten streak with a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 and now he’s hoping he finally got Alex Pereira’s attention.

Over three rounds, Ankalaev showed he was the superior striker as he continued chipping away at Rakic and looking to set up a potential fight finishing sequence. The knockout never came but Ankalaev kept Rakic on his backfoot for the entire fight as he cruised to victory with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor.

“I kept running after him but it was really hard to catch him,” Ankalaev said about his performance. “I don’t want to say anything bad about him but I didn’t understand his striking at all. Very uncomfortable opponent for me.”

The massive light heavyweights exchanged some huge, heavy kicks early with both trying to find an opening to do maximum damage. Ankalaev was marching forward and closing the distance on the taller fighter but Rakic was doing a good job keeping him honest with some well-timed straight punches and mixing in more of those long, rangy kicks.

While Rakic kept tossing out a head kick, Ankalaev displayed good hand speed and power with his boxing as he continued leading the dance. Ankaleav continued stabbing at Rakic with a variety of punches including a stiff shot to the body that definitely got his opponent’s attention.

Ankalaev was really starting to mix up his punches, tossing out a straight right and the following with a slick left uppercut behind it. As time passed, Rakic was stuck playing defense with Ankalaev really finding his rhythm on the feet.

With less than a minute remaining in the second round, Ankalaev mashed Rakic’s face with a nasty straight left down the middle. Rakic kept thrown back at him but Ankalaev was really beginning to control the action with his superior striking.

Ankalaev stayed on the gas moving forward and unleashing more and more of those straight left hands that just kept finding a home on Rakic’s chin. As time ticked away to the final horn, Ankalaev continued to punish Rakic on the inside with heavy punches and knees as he did more than enough to ensure that he would leave Abu Dhabi with the win.

Following his latest performance to stay unbeaten for 13 consecutive fights, Ankalaev wasted no time turning his attention to the UFC light heavyweight champion with hopes that a title shot is next in 2025.

“I think I’ve done everything to deserve the next title shot,” Ankalaev said. “I’d like to tell Alex, stop running away from me. Alex, stop running away from me.”