''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 ...
in
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
See also
*
2024 in UFC
The year 2024 is the 32nd year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.
UFC in 2024
Class action: anti-trust lawsuits
On August 9, 2023, U.S. District Judge Ric ...
*
List of current UFC fighters
This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster c ...
*
List of UFC events
List of UFC events is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains ...
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