It looks like the Ultimate Fighting Championship will feature another serious European superstar weighing in at 145 pounds.
Ilya Topria defended his undisputed featherweight title by defeating Max Holloway with punches in the third round of the UFC 308 headliner Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Holloway (26-8, 22-8 UFC) was stopped with strikes for the first time in 34 career fights, ending 1:34 into the third round.
Topuria (16-0, 8-0 UFC) crushed the Hawaiian with leg kicks and right hands. Holloway responded with his patented jab, doing his best to keep the champion at bay with his superior length. It worked for a while. Topria broke him in the third round with a right hook and was flustered with body and head combinations. A hard left hook knocked Holloway semi-conscious and he crashed to the canvas, and the Spaniard finished the fight with short punches and hammerfists.
Meanwhile, All Stars Training Center product Khamzat Chimaev eliminated Robert Whittaker with a face crank in the first round of the middleweight co-main event. Whittaker (26-8, 17-6 UFC) conceded defeat 3:34 into the first round, suffering his first submission loss in nearly 13 years.
Chimaev (14-0, 8-0 UFC) scored a takedown within the first minute, landing a knee to the body and leg that sent the former champion scrambling to ground for a second time. He then moved to the back, punched him away, and slipped his arm into the crank position. Whittaker tapped right away, but appeared to have injured his jaw. Kills are rarely cleaner at this high a level.
This was Chimaev’s ninth first-round finish in his career.
Elsewhere, in a three-round light heavyweight showcase, Magomed Ankalaev defeated American Top Team-trained Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision, solidifying his status as the No. 1 contender in the 205-pound division. Ankalaev (19-1-1 UFC, 11-1-1 UFC) dominated the scorecards with a score of 29-28 from the judges.
Rakic (14-5, 6-4 UFC) lost his way after a competitive first round. Ankalaev came forward from behind a front kick with his body and well-trained left hand, aiming for the head and body with equal fervor. He kept his foot on the gas until the end, making multiple tags to Rakic, blocking takedown attempts and keeping him busy in the clinch with knees and short punches.
Ankalaev then set his sights on the undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
Farther into the main draw, Manchester Top Team’s Lerone Murphy required close-range elbows, well-timed takedowns and unwavering determination from Dan Ige for a unanimous decision in a three-round featherweight attraction. . All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Murphy (15-0-1, 7-0-1 UFC).
Ige (18-9, 10-8 UFC) had his moments. He finished off the former Full Contact Contender title holder with a counter left hook in the first round and an arm triangle in the third. Murphy cut the Hawaiian near the right eye and over the bridge of his nose with a clean standup, and dominated most of the space in between with an effective clinch. He delivered a stronger closing argument, securing a late takedown, locking up with ground-and-pound and briefly going for a Bravo choke.
The undefeated Murphy has won seven straight fights since a split draw with Zubaira Tukhugov more than four years ago.
In the end, Sharavuddin Magomedov kept his perfect professional record intact, defeating former Fight Nights Global Champion Armen Petrosyan with double spinning backfists in the second round of the middleweight appetizer, and doing it in amazing fashion. achieved. Magomedov (15-0, 4-0 UFC) ended round two at 4:52.
Petrosyan (9-4, 3-3 UFC) stuffed him with aggressive kicks and repeated kicks to the leg, but fell victim to one of the most spectacular finishes in recent memory. It just became. Late in the second round, Magomedov delivered a spinning backfist from the right side. The blow was partially blocked by Petrosyan, but he quickly rotated to the other side and connected. The match was stopped as the Armenian kickboxer crashed into the canvas and avoided contact.
Petrosyan, 33, has lost consecutive matches.
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