Ilya Topria and Max Holloway, UFC 308 Ceremonial Weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
UFC 308 headliners Ilya Topuria and Max Holloway couldn’t be more different outside the cage, but inside the cage, their exhilarating, action-packed styles combine to create a veritable powder keg. It gave the fans what they expected.
Topuria, a McGregor-type trash talker, and Holloway, one of the sport’s best representatives who values thoughtfulness and soft-spokenness, both had a lot to gain in terms of legacies Saturday night. For Holloway, a return to the championship at this stage in his career would cement him as perhaps the greatest featherweight of all time. Topria, on the other hand, tried to avoid becoming a one-time champion and secure the biggest scalp of his career (with apologies to Alexander Volkanovski).
True to his promise early on, Topria started the match by pointing to the floor, indicating that both men would stand and trade. Holloway, known for doing so at the end of fights, refused. Instead, Holloway stayed outside and Topria boxed to close the distance. On the next entry, Topria scooped up Holloway and scored a nice takedown. Holloway got to his feet but stumbled his way out to get back to the mat.
When they stood up again, Topuria landed firmly. Shortly after, Holloway connected with a jab. The champion’s kicks were also on point, connecting with the outside of the lead leg multiple times. Holloway started to find a rhythm and landed a few times in a few exchanges. By the end of the round, Topuria could see damage around her face. Max fell behind, but time quickly ran out while Topria took the back.
Holloway’s chant gave the fighter a second round victory. A back-and-forth battle unfolds early in the frame, with Topria delivering a calf kick. But Holloway’s jab kept the champion out of bounds. And as the rounds progressed, Holloway began to find his flow again, choosing his shots and landing combos, once again drawing crowd cheers at the beginning of the stanza. Holloway also mixed in kicks to the legs and body. “Blessed” ended the round and connected with a spinning back kick to the midsection, pushing Topria back.
The third round began with Topuria doubling down on jabs to help Holloway, but couldn’t get close. The challenger countered with a high kick but it was blocked. Holloway returned a second round of leg kicks before falling into a southpaw stance. Holloway was attacking his obliques with his own kicks. Topria rocks Holloway with a right hand and the tide changes! Immediately after, he releases a gust of wind, but Max escapes. Topria, still hurt, follows and hits another combination, taking Holloway down with a brutal left hand! Topria landed some ground and pound while Holloway grabbed the leg. The referee gave Holloway a shot, but quickly saw enough and awarded Ilya Topria a third-round TKO.
After the match, former champion Alexander Volkanovski was brought into the cage, and it looks like a rematch with Topuria could be next.
Official result: Ilya Topuria def. Max Holloway, TKO, round 3, 1:34
