Abu Dhabi, UAE: UFC® returned to Etihad Arena for a second time this year and a milestone 20th event in the UAE as UFC® 308: TOPURIA vs HOLLOWAY delivered an edge-of-your-seat night of unbelievable wins.

Featherweight fireworks were on full display for the title fight as Ilia Topuria put his perfect record and title on the line as he took on former featherweight king Max Holloway, with Topuria coming out as the winner via TKO in a pulse-pounding final bout. Commenting on his win, Topuria said: “I was expecting all the good things from Holloway but at the same time I know how I can handle all things inside the Octagon. I had to change the gameplan a little bit but at the end of the day I got the knockout.”

The co-main event saw the much-anticipated middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev, having been previously postponed, the clash for all-out glory saw Chimaev take the victory, keeping his winning streak going strong.

Chimaev praised his opponent after, saying: “You’ve always been the picture for me, you legend, I respect him he took the fight with me.” Chimaev also expressed his gratitude to Abu Dhabi, “Thank you Abu Dhabi, thank you for everything.” A place he now calls home and where he has secured another major career win at UFC308. 

The main card athletes also stole the show as fan-favorite Shara Magomedov met Armen Petrosyan in an explosive match-up leading in yet another win for the middleweight athlete. Lerone Murphy retained his undefeated status in an intense win against Dan Ige in a featherweight fight. Aleksander Rakic’s return to the Octagon to meet Magomed Ankalaev was a high-stakes bout that saw the light heavyweights matchup resulting in a unanimous decision victory for Ankalaev.

The prelims brought some exciting finishes and gritty performances. Kicking things off, Ibo Aslan scored a quick won of Raffael Cerqueira, scoring a swift TKO via punches in just 51 seconds of the first round. Another explosive matchup saw Geoff Neal face Rafael dos Anjos, with Neal earning a TKO victory in the first round. Mateusz Rebecki emerged as the split-decision winner against Myktybek Orolbai in a back-and-forth clash.

At middleweight, Abus Magomedov showed his grappling skills, locking a third-round submission win against Brunno Ferreira. Rounding out the prelims, Farid Basharat showcased sharp striking to earn a unanimous decision over Victor Hugo, and Ismail Naurdiev dominated Bruno Silva with a clean sweep. Kennedy Nzechukwu rounded out the prelims with a dominant TKO finish over Chris Barnett, using a knee to the body followed by punches to end the fight in the first round. Finally, Rinat Fakhretdinov closed things out with a commanding win against Carlos Leal.

In the lead up to the Saturday night event, UFC fans in the UAE enjoyed a series of events and activities ahead of UFC308 which included cheering on their favorite athletes at the open workouts at Yas Mall and partaking in the UFC Fan Experience at Etihad Arena.

Fight Results:

Main Card:

  • - Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via TKO
  • - Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via submission
  • - Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via KO
  • - Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision
  • - Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision

Prelims:

  • - Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira via TKO
  • - Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via TKO
  • - Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision
  • - Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via submission
  • - Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via TKO
  • - Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision
  • - Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision
  • - Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision

UFC will return to the Etihad Arena and its home in the UAE in 2025 for more nonstop MMA action.