We’re now only a few short hours away from what could be the single greatest fight in UFC featherweight history between undefeated champion Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria and future Hall of Famer, Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway.
As fans enter their final countdown to UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway, MMA experts both past and present are sharing their final thoughts on the highly-anticipated featherweight title clash – and if there’s anyone who knows how to preview a fight, it’s Jon Anik.
Commentator Jon Anik previews UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway title showdown
Veteran voice of the octagon Jon Anik has been lucky enough to be cageside for a plethora of unbelievable UFC championship fights down the years, so it’s safe to say that he understands why fans are so excited for tonight’s featherweight contest.
Yet the popular play-by-play commentator couldn’t help but offer a wry smile as he noted that the title fight topping the UFC 308 billing later this evening, could be one of the best stylistic showdowns of the year.
“It’s very interesting… Back in 2021, Max Holloway turned in what is the greatest individual striking performance that I have ever seen against Calvin Kattar,” previewed Anik to Fox Sports Australia, via the MainEvent YouTube channel.
“How might that approach go against somebody like Ilia Topuria, who is a package of athleticism, speed and power that I’ve never really seen [before] in the featherweight division – with respect to Volkanovski and everybody else.
“Can I say that I don’t know? I mean I think both of these final two fights are as compelling matchup-wise as we can put together [and], in some parts, I would suggest maybe [that there is] some betting value on Holloway because he’s a near two-to-one underdog.”
Throughout his 29 professional fights under the UFC banner, Max Holloway has only ever entered the octagon as a betting underdog on nine separate occasions.
Of those nine underdog bouts, Holloway has four victories (vs Justin Gaethje, vs Jose Aldo, vs Cub Swanson, vs Andre Fili) and five defeats (vs Volkanovski x2, vs Conor McGregor, vs Dennis Bermudez, vs Dustin Poirier).
- UFC 308 LIVE: Stream information, start time, updates and results as Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway throw down in Abu Dhabi
“But Topuria deserves the distinction as the favorite,” continued the veteran commentator, acknowledging that even at 15-0 and as the reigning champion, we’ve probably not yet seen the best version of ‘El Matador’ in the octagon.
“He’s 27 years of age, he has not yet arrived at his fighting prime, and I just can’t wait to see them lock the door behind those guys.”
Topuria possesses incredible finishing ability both on the feet and on the ground, with five wins coming by KO/TKO wins and eight victories via submission – but will Holloway’s championship experience play a factor?
“It’s Max Holloway’s 30th UFC appearance, my research suggests that Max Holloway has spent 37.5% of his life as a member of this UFC roster so yes; strength of schedule and experience could loom large in this fight.
“But I do believe that this Topuria camp, they’ve done all this hard work behind closed doors, not looking for attention, I feel like they’ve done a lot of the right work and I’m not sure that the experience equation is going to be what fails them.”
Anik isn’t the only UFC expert who is decidedly split on who he thinks will exit the Etihad Arena with the shiny 145lb strap over their shoulder, with the likes of Adesanya, Aspinall, and Sonnen also sharing similar breakdowns this week.
We send it back to the veteran voice of the octagon for one final thought on the title showdown: “Holloway might just be the better guy, but all of the words will give way to action here shortly.”
UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway goes down tonight, live from the United Arab Emirates.
- PREDICTIONS: Max Holloway to hand Ilia Topuria his first-ever loss and Khamzat Chimaev to fall short