The UFC’s pay-per-view return to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi will be a star-studded event on Oct. 26 featuring one of the sport’s most anticipated fights in the main event.
Newly crowned featherweight king Ilia Topuria (15-0) will make the first defense of his 145-pound title against legendary former champion Max Holloway, UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday via social media. The bout will headline UFC 308 inside Etihad Arena in an event that will mark the promotion’s 20th visit to the United Arab Emirates city.
“Ilia is coming off of a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year and 13 of his 15 wins have come by finish,” White said. “He is the best combat sport athlete to come out of Spain and his career is coming full circle because he made his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi.”
The 27-year-old Topuria, who was born in Germany to Georgian parents, has become a celebrity within his adopted home of Spain. He has recorded performance of the night bonuses in each of his last four fights, including a second-round demolition of Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to capture the featherweight title.
Holloway (26-7), the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer who once authored the third-longest UFC win streak at 13 fights, looks to regain the 145-pound title he lost to Volkanovski in their first of three fights in 2019. The native of Hawaii saw his brand get rejuvenated in a major way at UFC 300 in April when he knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second of Round 5 to capture the ceremonial “BMF” championship.
The card only gets deeper after the main event as White also announced a co-feature with major title implications at 185 pounds as former champion Robert Whittaker (26-7) welcomes the charismatic Russian finisher Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) in a five-round bout.
“This fight was supposed to take place in June when Khamzat got ill and Whittaker, being the badass that he is, accepted [Ikram] Aliskerov on short notice [and delivered a first-round knockout],” White said.
Former interim heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane (12-2) returns against red-hot Alexander Volkov (38-10), who enters riding a four-fight win streak against top contenders. Light heavyweights Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1, 1 NC) and Aleksandar Rakic (14-4) will also face off in a matchup between top-5 ranked fighters at 205 pounds.
