One of the biggest UFC cards of the year takes place in Abu Dhabi this Saturday as Ilia Topuria makes the first defence of his featherweight title against Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Two of the best boxers in the sport, this will be guaranteed violence from the beginning.
Topuria's rise in the sport has caught the attention of all fans, as he won the title at UFC 298 with a second round knockout over Alexander Volkanovski.
The Spanish fighter's combinations and power makes him a threat to everyone, and at 13-0, has been a puzzle yet to be figured out.
Standing across from him in the octagon on Saturday is former champion and fan favourite in the sport Holloway.
[caption id="attachment_1686382" align="alignnone" width="892"]
After coming up short against Volkanovski at UFC 276, Holloway is on a three-fight win streak.
He gave fans one of the moments of 2024 with his last second knockout over Justin Gaethje to win the BMF belt at UFC 300.
This fight will be a straight-up striking battle, with the power and combinations of Topuria against the pressure and cardio of Holloway.
Topuria will be determined to be the first fight in over 12 years to finish Holloway, and the first to knock him out. However, if the fight goes to the later rounds, Holloway has the experience and knowledge to come up with big moments as the fight goes on.
In the co-main at UFC 308, Robert Whittaker takes on Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division.
A fight originally scheduled for June in Saudi Arabia but an injury to Chimaev ruled him out, with Whittaker finishing Ikram Aliskerov in the first round.
For Chimaev, after such a promising start to the UFC, injuries and illness have seen long periods of inactivity. His last fight was a majority decision
ABU DHABI
Mma
Ufc
Justin Gaethje
Max Holloway
Robert Whittaker
Alexander Volkanovski
Khamzat Chimaev