Long live the king! Ilia Topuria ran over Max Holloway in the main fight this Saturday (26) at UFC 308, in Abu Dhabi. It was the first time that 'El Matador' put his featherweight belt (up to 65,7 kg) on the line, which he won in February of this year. After two evenly matched rounds, the champion found the blow he wanted and landed an overwhelming sequence of punches that guaranteed him the victory by knockout in the third round.
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Holloway, who was once the champion of the division, had his plans to lift the belt again frustrated. The UFC BMF title holder now has a record of 26 wins and eight losses.
Yes, Ilia Topuria remains undefeated in the UFC: he now has 16 wins. The unprecedented knockout against Holloway was the icing on the cake and consolidated the Georgian-Spanish fighter's title.
Hair-raising fight with unprecedented knockout
Topuria entered confidently and provoked Holloway, calling his opponent to the center of the octagon. The Hawaiian responded by signaling that it was not time yet. After a brief exchange between the two, the Georgian-Spanish fighter managed to take him down on the second floor, but Max got up and the fight returned to the exchange. El Matador showed more explosiveness, while Holloway tried to land counterattacks. After an intense exchange of jabs and crosses, Holloway slipped and Topuria tried to finish on the ground, but the first round came to an end.
The exchange continued in the second round, with Topuria more aggressive and imposing his game. The Hawaiian, known for his high number of significant strikes, saw his attacks go unnoticed by the Georgian-Spanish fighter's dodges.
Holloway knew he needed to be more aggressive and changed his stance in the third round. However, El Matador managed to take advantage of the Hawaiian's low guard and landed a deadly left-handed cross. His opponent felt it and that was when Topuria unleashed a barrage of punches. An unprecedented knockout for Holloway and long live the UFC featherweight champion!
Ilia Topuria won Max Holloway by knockout and keeps the UFC featherweight belt / UFC Reproduction
Check out all the results from UFC 308
Data: October 26, 2024
Working Hours: From 11am (Brasília time).
Location: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
How to watch: SUPER FIGHTS LIVE in real time and UFC Fight Pass (entire card) online
MAIN CARD
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Ilia Topuria won Max Holloway by knockout at 1min34s of R3
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Khamzat Shimaev won Robert whittaker by submission at 3min34s in R1
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Magomed Ankalayev won Aleksandar rakic by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Lerone murphy derrotou Dan Ige by unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Shara Magomedov derrotou Armen petrosyan by knockout at 4min50s in R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Light heavyweight (up to 93kg): Ibo Aslan derrotou Raffael Cerqueira by technical knockout at 51 seconds of R1
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Geoff neal derrotou Rafael dos Anjos by technical knockout (injury) at 1min30s of R1
Married weight (up to 72,5 kg): Mateusz Rebecki derrotou Myktybek Orolbai in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Abus Magomedov derrotou Bruno Hulk via submission (katagatame) at 3min14s of R3
Heavy weight (up to 120,2 kg): Kennedy Nzechukwu derrotou Chris Barnett by technical knockout (punches) at 4min27s of R1
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Farid Basharat derrotou Victor Hugo in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Ismail Naurdiev derrotou Bruno Blindado in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Rinat Fakhretdinov derrotou Carlos Leal in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
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