Six Exciting Fights Which Are Set For UFC 308

Max Holloway vs Ilia Topuria

It seemed impossible for this Featherweight title bout to not happen after Holloway had called out Topuria in the post-fight interview at UFC 300.

Both men have earned outstanding knockout wins in their last fight, with Topuria becoming the first Spaniard and Georgian UFC Champion after he shut down Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, and Holloway becoming the new BMF title holder after knocking Justin Gaethje out cold in the last second of their fight at UFC 300.

El Matador is currently undefeated in his MMA career and since his arrival to the UFC, he has gone on a dominant path to destruction as he has beaten the likes of Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett. Topuria will most likely challenge himself to become the first fighter to knock out Holloway.

Blessed has had plenty of title experience in the 145-pound division, especially since he has been the former champion and defeated the likes of Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgar. Of course, Holloway's main task will be to become the first fighter to beat Topuria, so that he can become a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion.

Robert Whittaker vs khamzat chimaev

A fight which may finally happen after its cancellation at UFC Saudi Arabia really has the MMA community questioning who is the favourite to win this Middleweight battle.

Whittaker had to change his fight plan in his last bout at UFC Saudi Arabia when he faced short-noticed replacement, Ikram Aliskerov, and would convincingly end the fight by first-round knockout. Meanwhile, Chimaev had to do the same in his last bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 where he would do enough to earn a majority decision win.

The Reaper has always faced the toughest competition, ever since he became the UFC Middleweight Champion, earning victories over Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori, Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa. It would be a big accomplishment if Whittaker succeeds at UFC 308 as he will be the first fighter to defeat Chimaev who has been considered a future champion in the organisation.

Borz may have not had many fights in the UFC Middleweight division, especially against ranked opponents, but he has shown he can stop a fight at any time with big submission wins over the likes of Li Jingliang and Kevin Holland. If Chimaev is victorious in Abu Dhabi, he could just earn himself a title shot against the winner of Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

Ciryl Gane vs Alexander Volkov II

A Heavyweight rematch which not many people would have expected is getting fans answering the question for who will win in the second bout after the first saw Gane win by unanimous decision.

Gane had a redeeming moment in his home country after he defeated Serghei Spivac by second-round TKO at UFC Paris. Volkov had the task of beating former teammate, Sergei Pavlovich, at UFC Saudi Arabia and even though he was the underdog, he would win the fight by unanimous decision.

Despite Bon Gamin's undisputed title losses, his last three wins have all ended by TKO as he has stopped many dangerous and powerful Heavyweights such as Junior Dos Santos, Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. A victory could see him one clear step away from another title shot.

Drago has currently been on a four-fight winning streak and it may be his most impressive one yet after stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Romanov and Tai Tuivasa in his tracks before an impressive performance six weeks ago. A win at the Etihad Arena could give Volkov the opportunity to have his first shot at UFC Gold in his career.

Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandr Rakic

In what may be the most surprising matchup made for this event, Ankalaev has to prove that he is definitely the next title challenger.

Ankalaev managed to end the controversial dispute over his first fight with Johnny Walker at UFC 294, with the bout ending as a no contest, winning by second-round knockout at UFC Vegas 84. Rakic would suffer a second-round TKO loss to the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jiri Prochazka, at UFC 300.

The Makhachkala-born fighter has only lost once in his MMA career which came on his UFC debut as he is currently on a 12-fight unbeaten streak. Many of the MMA community believe that Ankalaev's next fight would be for the title as he is now one step away from getting that opportunity.

The Serbian has not been victorious since March 2021 as he has suffered two TKO losses in his last two fights. Despite his recent form, Rakic has proven why he should be near the top of the Light Heavyweight rankings and a victory could surprisingly put him in title contention.

Lerone Murphy vs Dan Ige

An unmissable battle between two recognisable Featherweights looks to make UFC 308 more exciting as Murphy tries to maintain his unbeaten MMA record, while Ige plans to move up the rankings.

Murphy's last fight ended very comfortably with an unanimous decision win over Edson Barboza in the Main Event of UFC Vegas 92. Ige stepped in on three hours' notice to save the Co-Main Event of UFC 303 and would only just lose to Diego Lopes by a close unanimous decision.

The Miracle has looked very impressive ever since he entered the UFC and has proven to be dangerous on the feet with six of his seven knockout wins ending in the first round. A victory against a tough opponent like Ige could give him the chance to possibly fight someone in the top five.

50k has never backed down from a tough challenge as he has faced some of the toughest Featherweight contenders, such as Calvin Kattar, Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev. After his most respected moment of his career at UFC 303, there is no question that a win will move him up the rankings and potentially put him against a top contender in the future.

Geoff Neal vs Rafael Dos Anjos