JACK CATTERALL secured a stunning victory over Regis Prograis that should propel him straight into world title contention.

Catterall took a wide 117-108, 116-109, 116-109 unanimous decision in front of a raucous crowd in Manchester.

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The Chorley brawler started relatively in a controlled and measured fashion ticking off rounds in a tight contest.

He then had to take a marginal standing count in round five before really turning on the pressure in the latter rounds.

Having turned up the pace, El Gato scored two knockdowns of his own with some brutal lefts that sent veteran Prograis spinning.

The win for Catterall, who secured great wins over Josh Taylor and Jorge Linares in his previous two fights, should see him fight for a world title next – with promoter Eddie Hearn certainly pushing for that with his post-fight interview.

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Hearn said: “This guy is probably the most underrated fighter in the world.

“In 11 months he’s beat Jorge Linares, Josh Taylor, now Regis Prograis. All in 11 months.

“This man needs a world title shot next… We have Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins on Dec 7.

“The winner of that fight, we want to put that [offer] straight to them to fight Jack Catterall next.

“He should be number one with the WBO. I would love to bring Teofimo Lopez to Manchester and give him a good arse kicking.”

Prograis, a two-time world champion, appeared to call time on his career after the defeat.

He said: “I’ve had my time in the sun, now it’s time for the young ones.

“I’m gonna do something else and let the young guys take over.”

Prograis added: “Jack was just better, that’s all. Jack was the better man, I’m not gonna lie.

“He definitely deserves a world title fight next. Good luck Jack. You’re really good.

“I’ve fought the best and you were the best out of all of them.”

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.

Conner Jones, 18 years old, was making his 22nd career start on Saturday when he reacted poorly to some aggressive racing from rival Matt Mills. While battling for 17th in the Homestead Truck race, Jones got into the back of Mills. The tuck snapped hard to the right and slammed the wall, quickly erupting into flames.

Mills emerged from the fiery wreck of his No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet under his own power after it came to a stop in the grass, resting against a tire barrier. Per the team, Mills has since been transported to a local hospital for further observation.

Jones was immediately held two laps for reckless driving and went on to finish 25th. He declined to make comments to several members of the media after the race, but has since released the following statement:

“I have not yet had the chance to personally apologize to Matt for the incident that took place during today’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but I intend to do so. Matt and I have encountered several on-track incidents this season, and I let my frustration get the best of me.

“I underestimated the impact my actions would have on Matt, and I deeply regret the consequences that followed. I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to Matt, Niece Motorsports, NASCAR, and my entire ThorSport Racing team for my unsportsmanlike behavior. My thoughts are with Matt, during this time after hearing that he has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation following the contact on the racetrack.”

Any future updates regarding Mills’ condition will be added to this story.

Ilia Topuria stunned Max Holloway to retain the UFC featherweight title at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi – inflicting the first knockout defeat of the American’s glittering career.

Spain’s Topuria rocked former champion Holloway in the third round before ending the fight with a thudding left hook.

Topuria’s win follows his knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February, cementing the 27-year-old as the man of the moment and the future of the division.

“To beat a legend like Max Holloway, I can’t believe it you know, he inspired me so much in my career,” said Topuria.

“He’s been a great example for the generation. I represent the new generation.”

Topuria was making the first defence of his belt after shocking Volkanovski eight months ago, ending the Australian’s four-year title reign.

It has been a rapid rise for Topuria in the UFC, finishing five of seven opponents since his 2020 debut before this contest, but in Holloway he was facing one of the most decorated athletes in UFC history.

Holloway is a former featherweight champion, reigning for two years from 2017, and holds multiple records in the division, including the most victories (20), finishes (11) and longest win streak (13).

Holloway’s knockout of Justin Gaethje in April went viral after he pointed to the floor and invited his fellow American to stand and swing, and Topuria had promised to repeat the gesture at the beginning of their bout in Abu Dhabi.

Cheered on by Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos at octagon-side, Topuria followed through on his promise but Holloway declined, choosing to start the contest in conventional fashion.

Topuria applied the early pressure with Holloway backing up to avoid any damaging shots.

The Spaniard then landed the first takedown, before attacking with leg kicks when the fight returned to the feet.

Holloway responded as he settled into his range, landing jabs and quick left-right combinations to keep Topuria at bay.

With both fighters finding success – Topuria with a stinging left hook and Holloway with a counter right – the crowd roared as the fight entered the third round.

After Holloway landed two kicks, drawing a finger gesture in response from Topuria, the Spaniard delivered the defining moment of the bout.

In Holloway’s 30-fight career, he has hardly been wobbled, but a crushing right hand from Topuria resulted in the American staggering backwards in shock.

With Holloway hurt, Topuria went on the attack before knocking him out for the first time with a perfect left hook.

Topuria celebrated by pretending to drink a cup of tea, before climbing out of the octagon to celebrate with Ramos.

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.