The UFC returned to the Fight Capital of the Middle East on Saturday for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, with Max Holloway looking to reclaim his featherweight title opposite new champ Ilia Topuria.
Rather than a grudge match, the pairing was a contrast of personalities; Topuria the brash, confident talker, Holloway the reserved, laid back Hawaiian who did his talking in the cage. Both men brought excitement to every fight, making “BMF” champ Holloway’s attempt to reclaim his old title from a next generation star all that more anticipated.
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev was looking at the possibility of a title shot against ex-champ Robert Whittaker. Of course, in Chimaev’s case, he’d been on the precipice of challenging for gold before, only to have health issues and timing see him miss out.
Shara Bullet was set to kick off the card, putting his perfect record on the line against Armen Petrosyan. Dan Ige, meanwhile, didn’t get to compete on UFC 306 at The Sphere as he’d hoped, but he was in a high-profile showdown with Lerone Murphy. Finally, light heavyweight action saw title hopeful Magomed Ankalaev taking on Aleksandar Rakic.
Our picks are in! Here’s how we see UFC 308 playing out!
| Writer / Fight | Magomedov vs. Petrosyan | Murphy vs. Ige | Ankalaev vs. Rakic | Whittaker vs. Chimaev | Topuria vs. Holloway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Anderson (113-73) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Jamie Theodosi (89-60) | |  | | | |
| Eddie Law (108-77) | | | |  | |
| Alex Behunin (104-77) |  | | | |  |
| Chris Prawdzik (89-68) | | | | | |
| Cade Morehouse (70-66) | | | | | |
| Mathis Desjardins (0-0) | | |  | | |
The closest thing to a sweep this week comes in Ankalaev vs. Rakic, with only a single writer siding with Aleksandar Rakic over Magomed Ankalaev.
We’re giving Max Holloway a slight edge over Ilia Topuria in the main event – is that heart over head? The same 4-3 margin applies to Robert Whittaker against Khamzat Chimaev.
