UFC 308 event was headlined by a men’s featherweight title fight featuring Ilia Topuria taking on Max Holloway.
Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA) was looking to earn his first career title defense when he took on the Hawaiian this afternoon. ‘El Matador’ had captured the UFC’s coveted featherweight title this past February at UFC 298, scoring a second-round knockout victory over Alex Volkanovski.
Meanwhile, Max Holloway (26-8 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since scoring his viral knockout over Justin Gaethje at April’s UFC 300 event. That victory earned ‘Blessed’ the promotion’s BMF belt, and he was hoping to reclaim the featherweight title for the first time since 2019 this afternoon.
UFC 308 main event proved to be a thrilling back and forth affair for as long as it lasted. Ilia Topuria seemed to struggle to find his range in the opening rounds due to the Hawaiian’s height advantage and movement. However, he eventually found a home for his big right hand and ended up dropping Max Holloway in the early moments of round 3. Although Max got back to his feet and started firing back punches, Topuria kept his foot on the gas and eventually connects with a massive left hook that sent ‘Blessed’ crashing to the canvas. Some follow up shots were all the referee needed to see to call a stop to the contest.
Official UFC 308 Results: Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via KO at 1:34 of Round 3
Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Topuria vs. Holloway’ below:
Post-fight reactions to Ilia Topuria defeating Max Holloway at UFC 308: