UFC 308 live updates: Results, highlights for Topuria vs. Holloway ...

UFC 308 was a must-see event with Topuria-Holloway topping the card.

Ilia Topuria retains his featherweight title after knocking out Max Holloway in the third round in the UFC 308 main event at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The UFC 308 card took place earlier in the day for those watching in the United States because of the time difference.

Topuria improved to a 16-0-0 record, with six of those fights coming by way of (T)KO after tonight's result. What he may have lacked in reach and size, he fully made up for in a balanced and measured attack.

It was the first time Holloway had been knocked out during his UFC career.

Here are all of the updates and results from the UFC 308 card and the Topuria vs. Holloway main event.

Locked In: Topuria and Holloway face off in prefight video

The UFC will return to ESPN+ for its next big fight card. Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will headline the card with the UFC World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler will meet in the co-main event.

The UFC 309 takes place from Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 16.

• Round 1: The UFC 308 crowd chanted and showed their support for Ilia Topuria as the fight began. Both fighters threw several strikes to find something that may be effective going forward in the fight. Topuria brought Holloway to the ground in the final seconds but was unable to capitalize on the positioning.
• Round 2: Holloway has managed to get the best of Topuria in their boxing exchanges early in the fight. Topuria hooks Holloway, who slightly stumbles before regaining his footing. Holloway landed 35% of his significant strikes through the first two rounds (68 of 192), according to the ESPN+ broadcast. Topuria landed 43% (50 of 115).
• Round 3: Topuria with a big right hand that rattles Holloway before taking advantage and dropping his opponent down on the mat with a left hook. He becomes the first opponent to knock Holloway out in a UFC fight.
• Result: Ilia Topuria wins by TKO to retain the featherweight title

• Round 1: Chimaev started fast with a double-leg attempt in the opening seconds of the fight. Chimaev continued to smother Whittaker on the ground. Whittaker quickly tapped out after Chimaev got him in a choke. It appears that Whittaker may have dislocated his jaw based on comments from Daniel Cormier during the ESPN+ broadcast.
• Result: Chimaev wins by submission

Social media personality Hasbulla and fighter Arman Tsarukyan were seen during the ESPN+ broadcast in the crowd. Comedian Steve Harvey and soccer player Sergio Ramos were also in attendance.

• Round 1: Ankalaev and Rakic exchanged some strikes throughout the opening minutes. Rakic landed his first 12 leg strikes. The first round comes to an end.
• Round 2: Ankalaev became aggressive with his approach in the back half of the round. The fighters found themselves up against the gate before Ankalaev chased Rakic down for a left hook to the face. Rakic's corner told him he won both rounds and encouraged him to be aware of another aggressive approach from Ankalaev.
• Round 3: Rakic followed the advice of his corner and took a defensive approach to the round despite Rakic landing more significant strikes throughout the fight against Ankalaev. Both fighters go the distance and the fight will be decided by the judges.
• Result: Magomed Ankalaev wins by unanimous decision (29-28; 29-28; 29-28)

• Round 1: Dan Ige quickly had blood on his face following an elbow strike from Lerone Murphy, but it remains unclear where the cut is. Ige takes Murphy to the ground and places all his weight on him while he's pressed up against the cage. Ige drops Murphy with a left-handed punch and begins to lay in some punches during the final minute of the round.
• Round 2: Both fighters took a more calculated approach through the first two minutes of the round before finally getting tied up against the cage with 1:50 left. Murphy has continued to throw high-leg strikes but has been unable to capitalize so far. Murphy gets the best of Ige in the second round. The fight appears even through the first two rounds.
• Round 3: The fighters have spent a significant amount of time on the ground trying to get the edge over the other. Both fights appear exhausted Murphy spending the middle part of the round on top of Ige. Ige manages to escape and both stand up to exchange strikes as time expires. The fighters go a full 15 minutes and the judge will have to make a decision.
• Result: Lerone Murphy wins by unanimous decision (29-28; 29-28; 29-28)

• Round 1: The feeling-out process begins with both fighters landing significant punches on the other, expect things to get more aggressive between the two in the second round.
• Round 2: The referee had to make two stoppages in the first round as the two fighters exchanged lower-body kicks. Magomedov appears to be eating the strikes Petrosyan is throwing at him in an attempt to counter him. The strategy pays off as Magomedov lands a double-spinning back fist that drops Petrosyan in the final seconds of the second rebound.
• Result: Magomedov wins by TKO to remain undefeated (15-0-0).

Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway: TV, time, streaming info

Ilia Topuria takes on Max Holloway in the main event for UFC 308 live from the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Here is what you need to know about the fight.

• Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
• Time: Main card: 2 p.m. ET; prelims start at 10 a.m. ET
• Streaming: PPV on ESPN+; prelims on ESPN+
• Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Catch UFC 308 with ESPN+ subscription and Topuria-Holloway with an ESPN+ PPV

• Prelims: 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT (ESPN+)
• Main card: 2 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. PT (PPV on ESPN+)

All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Friday), according to BetMGM.

• Ilia Topuria (c) (-250) vs. Max Holloway (+200)
• Robert Whittaker (+200) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-250)
• Magomed Ankalaev (-400) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (+300)
• Lerone Murphy (-300) vs. Dan Ige (+240)
• Shara Magomedov (-175)vs. Armen Petrosyan (+145)
• Raul Rosas Jr. (-1000) vs. Aoriqileng (+650)
• Ibo Aslan (+105) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (-125)
• Geoff Neal (-300) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (+240)
• Mateusz Rebecki (+240) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (-300)
• Abus Magomedov (-145) vs. Brunno Ferreira (+120)
• Kennedy Nzechukwu (-700) vs. Chris Barnett (+500)
• Farid Basharat (-650) vs. Victor Hugo (+475)
• Ismail Naurdiev (-190) vs. Bruno Silva (+160)
• Rinat Fakhretdinov (-225) vs. Carlos Leal (+185)

Main card

• Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Max Holloway (featherweight title bout)
• Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev (middleweight)
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic (light heavyweight)
• Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige (featherweight)
• Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan (middleweight)

Prelims

• Ibo Aslan vs. Rafael Cerqueira (light heavyweight)
• Geoff Neal vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (welterweight)
• Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai (catch weight)
• Abus Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira (middleweight)
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett (heavyweight)
• Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo (featherweight)
• Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva (middleweight)
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal (welterweight)

The prelims will be available for live stream on ESPN+. The pay-per-view main event can be purchased and streamed through ESPN+.

The UFC 308 pay-per-view can be purchased through ESPN+ (which requires a subscription) for $79.99.

The event will be held at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Ethiad Arena is nestled just off the Yas Bay waterfront and has a capacity of 18,000.

MMAjunkie: Holloway inside the distance

Dan Tom writes "Add in Holloways ridiculous durability and the fact that he’s the more proven and effective fighter over five rounds, and I’ll happily take a flier on 'Blessed' to survive the early scares in order to pull away down the stretch for a stoppage win in Round 4."

MMAmania: Topuria def. Holloway by decision

Jesse Holland writes: "The challenger has the conditioning to spam takedowns for all five rounds and I’m not sure O’Malley — taken down six times by Petr Yan at UFC 280 — has the defense to stop him. I just don’t feel comfortable picking the champion on the slim chance he can land the kill shot before getting double-legged into oblivion."

CBS Sports: Topuria wins

Brian Campbell writes, "But even if this fight goes the distance, Topuria's rare combination of punching power, speed and sublime accuracy should be enough to discipline Holloway out of being the kind of dominant self he was against everyone from Justin Gaetje and Arnold Allen to Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar in recent fights. Topuria has too many weapons and the kind of mindset that will be difficult to break."

• Round 1: Fakhretdinov took a minute to get this fight on the ground, But Leal did well to get this back onto his feet. Leal is clearly comfortable getting out of takedowns and also connecting punches to Fakhretdinov's face.
• Round 2: Leal is elusive and is proving to be an issue for the favorite Fakhretdinov who can sure take a punch. Leal has had the better of significant strikes. But the round comes to a close with Fakhretdinov taking Leal to the mat. Too little too late.
• Round 3: Both fighters left it all out there in this first prelim fight. It's a shame that there was but a drizzle of fans to see it unfold at the Etihad Arena. Leal was inspiring in his takedown defense and ability to cause problems with his strikes.
• Result: Rinat Fakhretdinov wins by unanimous decision (29-28; 29-28; 30-27) - Not sure what the judges saw, but Fakhretdinov continues his win streak to 23.

• Round 1: Naurdiev is the clear aggressor to kick off the proceedings. He managed to get in a rear naked choke just before the end of the round but couldn't quite finish the move.
• Round 2: The best way to describe what we are seeing out of Silva is lackluster. He isn't fighting with the same measure of urgency as Naurdiev who is clearly dictating things.
• Round 3: Silva came in looking tired and just went down from there. Naurdiev looks like he could go another two rounds. This is Naurdiev's fight unless I'm taking crazy pills.
• Results: Naurdiev wins by unanimous decision (30-27)

• Round 1: The two measured up each other and left their own marks on one another. Hugo got the better of Basharat with a leg lock and a back elbow that dominated the proceedings.
• Round 2: Basharat has the higher ratio of strikes and it seems to be making a dent in Hugo who was wavering by the end of the round.
• Round 3: Save a nice connecting strike, Basharat had multiple takedowns to end the fight. His technical strikes and ability to dominate how the fight played out make it clear who the winner should be here.
• Result: Basharat wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Round 1: The fight is stopped after Barnett is clearly in pain. He had been favoring his left leg through the early minutes. It's still not clear exactly what the issue was. In the waning moments the fight was called after Barnett was in too much pain to defend himself.

Result: Nzechukwu wins by TKO

• Round 1: Shout out to Magomedov, who caused a lot of action in this prelim middleweight fight. Ferreira started to mix it up during the closing moments of the round. But this was largely a waiting game in round one.
• Round 2: If Ferreira was waiting for his moment, he truly has impeccable timing. Both times he launched an attack, he put Magomedov to the mat, only to see his hold squandered. But the damage has been done and Magomedov is exhausted after an action-packed second round.
• Round 3: Magomedov gets Ferreira to the ground and locks into an arm triangle. It's over and Magomedov wins by submission.
• Result: Magomedov wins by submission

• Round 1: Rebecki is a power puncher and you just need to ask Orolbai's right eye for a testimony. There was an equal exchange for most of the round until Rebecki connected beautifully. Now Orolbai will continue with an eye that continues to swell.
• Round 2: Orolbai landed some nice power punches, namely a great right uppercut. His eye continues to swell but he has moved forward with unrelenting fervor. And it's been rewarded as the two come together and the clash of heads opens a serious cut over Rebecki's right eye.
• Round 3: Orolbai is on another level. After Rebecki got him to the ground and worked on his face a little more, he turned the tables by the end of the round. Not quite sure how he even knew where his opponent was in the octagon, but he found Rebecki and had his face just as bloody as his own by the end of this remarkable bout.
• Result: Rebecki winner by split decision

• Round 1: The fight is over. Rafael Dos Anjos suffered what is being called a left knee injury. Neal had been the aggressor and landed a couple of combos that put Dos Anjos on the mat. Possibly during one of these exchanges, he suffered a knee injury that ultimately ended the fight early.
• Result: Neal wins by TKO

• Round 1: Well, that was quick. Aslan just unleashed a barrage of punches that started with a left to Cerqueira's left temple. It seemed as though he was stunned after that and couldn't recover. With unrelenting strikes, it was clear this fight had to end abruptly.
• Result: Aslan wins by TKO

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