This coming Saturday from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, one of the best UFC events of the year will take place as Ilia Topuria defends his featherweight title against Max Holloway in the blockbuster main event.
The UFC 308 main event is one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year as it is a tantalizing stylistic matchup between the power puncher, Ilia Topuria and the volume striker, Max Holloway.
Not only is the main event a tremendous matchup, but the co-main event boasts two of the best middleweights on the planet, as Khamzat Chimaev looks to pick up the biggest win of his career thus far as he takes on former champion, Robert Whittaker.
Without any further ado, let’s get into our main card predictions.
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov vs Armen Petrosyan – Middleweight bout
Opening up the main card is budding UFC star, Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov as he takes on the striker, Armen Petrosyan in a middleweight clash.
Since signing with the promotion, Magomedov has showcased his extremely well-rounded skillset which makes him dangerous wherever the fight goes. This will mark the first time the Russian has been included on the main card of a big PPV event, showing that the UFC has high hopes for him.
Petrosyan is most known for his kickboxing but unfortunately for him, ‘Bullet’ is the more technical striker in this matchup and has a wider striking variety. As well as that, Magomedov is the more dangerous fighter on the ground.
I see the 30-year-old picking up his fourth win under the UFC banner, putting himself closer to the top 15.
Prediction: Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov via decision
Lerone Murphy vs Dan Ige – Featherweight bout
After stepping in to fight Diego Lopes on just a few hours notice at UFC 303 this past June, Dan Ige has become a favorite amongst the fans despite not picking up the win.
In Lerone Murphy‘s last outing, he picked up the biggest win of his career thus far beating Edson Barboza over a tough five-round fight.
Just like the rest of the fights on the main card offering, this is an extremely intriguing matchup as stylistically, both of these fighters have the keys to offer the other problems.
’50k’ Ige undoubtedly has the power advantage in this matchup, whereas Murphy is the more athletic fighter. Ige can definitely cause ‘The Miracle’ problems with his underrated boxing, however, I think Murphy is probably the more sharp and well-rounded of the two featherweights.
The only issue with picking Murphy in this matchup is that sometimes he has the tendency to start slow, and in a three-round fight against Ige, the judge’s eyes may be focussed on the power shots of Ige.
Prediction: Lerone Murphy via decision
Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic – Light Heavyweight bout
There is a hell of a lot on the line for Magomed Ankalaev on Saturday night as he takes on Aleksandar Rakic in a huge fight at 205lbs.
Earlier this week, Dana White told the Russian that he must put on an exciting fight against Rakic if he wants to secure the title shot against Alex Pereira.
Standing in his way is ‘Rocket’ Rakic who is looking to bounce back from two disappointing losses and possibly snatching the title fight away from Ankalaev, who is on a 12-fight undefeated streak.
Rakic is an extremely explosive and unorthodox striker which could cause problems for Ankalaev, especially if he knows he can’t just come into this fight looking to control the Serbian against the cage or on the ground.
Having said that, I see a situation in which Rakic overexerts himself in the first round and Ankalaev comes on strong in the second and secures a submission win, finally securing himself a title shot.
Prediction: Magomed Ankalaev via submission
Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev – Middleweight bout
Returning to the Octagon for the first time in over a year is Khamzat Chimaev as he takes on former champion, Robert Whittaker.
When this fight was originally scheduled to take place this past June, it was being highlighted as a potential number one contender fight, with the winner likely going on to face Dricus Du Plessis.
Despite Dana White having recently claimed that Sean Strickland will fight for the title next, he backtracked on his comments and stated that he will wait for the culmination of Chimaev vs Whittaker to decide who’s next.
‘Borz’ has looked completely different this fight week, showcasing a calm and respectful demeanor, possibly highlighting the changes he has made during his fight camp.
Whittaker undoubtedly stands as his toughest test to date, though, and with it being a five-round fight, I think it favors ‘The Reaper’. If Chimaev is unable to impose himself on Whittaker within the first few rounds and really inflict damage, he may find himself looking for a second wind as the fight goes into the fourth and fifth rounds.
I see Whittaker’s experience and championship mentality paying dividends in this fight.
Prediction: Robert Whittaker via decision
Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway – Featherweight title fight
The most intriguing matchup of the year finally takes place this Saturday as ‘El Matador’ looks to become the first fighter ever to knock out Max Holloway.
Since losing his title to Alexander Volkanovski in 2022, ‘Blessed’ Holloway has gone on to remind fans that he is still that guy, picking up three incredibly impressive wins, and re-earning a shot at the 145lb title.
Despite having been around for what seems like forever, Holloway is still in his prime fighting years and has the attributes to show the young Topuria something he hasn’t seen yet.
The feud between the two has been growing hot over fight week, only adding to the intensity of the occasion.
Topuria is unsurprisingly confident that he will go in there and knock Holloway out within the first round by initiating a brawl in the center of the Octagon. Despite that and Holloway’s tendency to get involved in an all-out brawl, I envision a calm and methodic approach by ‘Blessed’.
I see the 32-year-old’s length and volume giving him the edge in this fight. As he showed against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, he has the ability to mix up his game plan, and I see him coming into this fight with a kicking-heavy approach to try and nullify the power of ‘El Matador’.
Prediction: Max Holloway via decision
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