''UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

that took place on October 26, 2024, at the

Etihad Arena Etihad Arena (initially known as Yas Bay Arena while under construction) is an indoor arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, located on the Yas Bay Waterfront district of Yas Island. Designed by HOK, the capacity of the venue is 18,000 and it ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates.

Background

The event marked the promotion's 20th visit to Abu Dhabi and first since UFC on ABC: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov in August 2024. A

UFC Featherweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

bout between current champion

Ilia Topuria Ilia Topuria ( ka, ილია თოფურია; born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he i ...

and former champion

Max Holloway Jerome Max Keli'i Holloway (born December 4, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Fea ...

headlined the event.

Diego Lopes Diego Lopes may refer to: *Diego Lopes (footballer) (born 1994), Brazilian footballer *Diego Lopes (fighter) Diego Lopes da Silva (born 30 December 1994) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherw ...

served as backup and potential replacement for this fight. A five-round middleweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) Robert Whittaker and

Khamzat Chimaev Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev (born 1 May 1994) is an Emirati professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In freestyle wrestling, Chima ...

took place at the event. They were previously expected to headline UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov last June, but Chimaev withdrew due to illness. A heavyweight rematch between former interim

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Romain Jacky Gane (born April 12, 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interi ...

and former Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Alexander Volkov was expected to take place at the event. The pairing previously headlined UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov in June 2021 which Gane won by unanimous decision. However, the bout was moved to

UFC 310 ''UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Backgroun ...

due to Volkov's knee injury. A heavyweight bout between

Marcos Rogério de Lima Marcos Rogério de Lima (born May 25, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he formerly competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and was a con ...

and

Kennedy Nzechukwu Kennedy Ikenna Nzechukwu (born June 13, 1992) is a Nigerian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Nzechukwu moved from Nigeria to the United States with ...

was scheduled for this event. However, Lima withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by

Justin Tafa Justin Tafa (born 13 December 1993) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Tafa was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to a family of ...

. Subsequently, Tafa withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by

Chris Barnett Christopher James Barnett (born June 14, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Barnett was born in Zaragoza, Spain, where his father ...

. A welterweight bout between

Rinat Fakhretdinov Rinat Ryashitovich Fakhretdinov (born 28 September 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Rinat Ryashitovich Fakhretdinov ...

and

Nursulton Ruziboev Nursulton Dilshodbek Ugli Ruziboev (born November 19, 1993) is an Uzbek professional mixed martial artist and boxer who currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background ...

was scheduled for this event. However, Ruziboev withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by former LFA Welterweight Champion and promotional newcomer Carlos Leal. A bantamweight bout between

Said Nurmagomedov Said Makhachevich Nurmagomedov (; born April 5, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2009, he formerly competed ...

and Daniel Santos was scheduled for this event. However, one week before the event, Santos withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and the bout was subsequently cancelled. At the weigh-ins, a lightweight bout between Mateusz Rębecki and Myktybek Orolbai was changed to a 160 pounds catchweight bout. In addition, at the weigh-ins, the originally contracted bantamweight bout between

Farid Basharat Farid Basharat (born 2 August 1997) is an Afghan-born English mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Farid and his older brother Javid, who is also a UF ...

and Victor Hugo was changed to a featherweight bout after Hugo weighed in at 145.5 pounds, 9.5 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit; although Basharat weighed in at 137 pounds, he agreed to allow the fight to take place at featherweight.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. *Fight of the Night: Mateusz Rębecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai *Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria, Khamzat Chimaev and Sharabutdin Magomedov

References

{{2024 in mixed martial arts 2024 in UFC October 2024 sports events in the United Arab Emirates Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events 2024 in Emirati sport Mixed martial arts in the United Arab Emirates Sports competitions in Abu Dhabi 21st century in Abu Dhabi

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References