The UFC will host its 20th Abu Dhabi show this weekend when Ilia Topuria defends his featherweight title against Max Holloway in the headline bout.
With a stacked card and much more happening throughout fight week, here is everything you need to know about UFC 308.
What is it?
UFC 308 is a mixed martial arts event from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The event will be headlined by the featherweight bout between champion Topuria and No 2-ranked contender Holloway. There will be a total of 14 fights – five on the main card and nine on the preliminary card.
Where is it?
Fight night will be held at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It will be the eighth UFC event staged at the venue.
When is it?
UFC 308 takes place this Saturday, October 26. The preliminary card is scheduled to begin from 6pm UAE time, with the main card expected to start around 10pm.
Who are the headline fighters?
Unbeaten Topuria (15-0) shot to UFC superstardom in February when he dethroned long-reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a spectacular second-round knockout in California. Pound-for-pound great Volkanovski had been the division's champion for four years.
The Georgian-Spaniard joined the UFC in 2020, making his debut with the promotion in Abu Dhabi on the undercard of the Marlon Moraes vs Cory Sandhagen event where he beat Youssef Zalal by decision. That was the first of seven UFC wins for 27-year-old Topuria, who is the first Georgian or Spaniard to win a UFC title.
He makes the first defence of his belt against an all-time UFC great in Holloway (26-7), a former featherweight champion and current holder of the 'BMF' title, which he won with an incredible last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April.
Holloway, 32, is a UFC stalwart having made his debut with the promotion in February 2012 as a 19-year-old, losing to future lightweight interim champion Dustin Poirier. The American won the featherweight title in 2017 by defeating title holder Jose Aldo. He made four defences before surrendering the belt to Volkanovski in 2019.
Who is on the rest of the card?
The undercard is topped by an exciting middleweight bout between No 3-ranked contender Robert Whittaker (27-7) and the highly rated unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev (13-0).
The pair were due to meet in the headline bout of the UFC's event in Riyadh in June but Chimaev withdrew with illness. Whittaker instead demolished Ikram Aliskerov in the first round. UAE-based Chimaev has regularly competed in Abu Dhabi over the years, although illness and injury have caused several setbacks to his promising career. His most recent fight was a decision victory over Kamaru Usman 12 months ago in Abu Dhabi.
Also on the main card, Lerone Murphy (14-0-1) and Dan Ige (18-8) contest a lightweight bout, No 2-ranked light-heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1) aims to boost his title chances against Aleksandar Rakic (14-4), and there's a middleweight fight between Shara Magomedov (14-0) and Armen Petrosyan (9-3).
What else is happening during fight week?
There are two UFC Fan Experiences to attend throughout the week, one at Yas Mall (Monday to Sunday) and the other at Yas Bay (Wednesday to Sunday). The events are free and open to the public. Fans can get involved in immersive experiences and buy UFC merchandise at the stores.
Fans can attend the public workout on Wednesday at Yas Mall's Town Centre (5pm-7.15pm), where the headline and co-main event fighters will go through their paces.
The press conferences will be held on Thursday at Etihad Arena and fans are also invited to attend for free. Later that same evening, Power Slam will make its Abu Dhabi debut at Space 42 Arena from 7pm.
The weigh-ins will then take place on Friday, with the closed official weigh-ins scheduled for the morning before ceremonial weigh-ins in the evening at Etihad Arena (4pm-6.30pm), which are open to the public.
What are the fighters saying?
UFC featherweight champion Topuria: “I will win this game on this Saturday, that’s for sure. If he wants to stay with me in the middle, it's OK. If he decides to not do that, it's OK, too. I'm going to find a different way to finish him and take his head off.”
Featherweight contender Holloway: “I'll get the final answer on Saturday night, man. I can't wait. Just keep grinding man, just keep grinding, keep your head down, keep grinding, you want something, go get it, anything is possible.”
Middleweight contender Whittaker: “I’m here on a mission. I've stepped in the octagon with the best fighters in the world, the best strikers in the world, the best wrestlers in the world. I have a wealth of experience under my belt, and I look forward to putting Chimaev through his paces."
Middleweight contender Chimaev: “We'll see in the cage. Anyone at the top can be a hard fight. We'll see, maybe it's an easy fight, maybe it's a hard fight for me, so we don't know. We’ll see that on the night."
Are tickets still available?
UFC 308 is sold out.
Is UFC 308 on TV?
The event can be watched live in the UAE on Starzplay.
