UFC 308 Countdown: Key Matchups and Predictions
UFC has agreed to hold an event in Abu Dhabi yearly, and recently, a member of Team Khabib has often headlined the UFC's October pay-per-view. With Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev needing surgery after his title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, the UFC had to come up with another main event that would satisfy the live fans in Abu Dhabi. UFC did not disappoint; UFC 308's main event is a title fight between undefeated Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria and BMF Champion and former Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. Also on the card is undefeated fan favorite contender Khamzat Chimaev versus former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. With the card having four undefeated athletes, we should take a deep dive into what some of these matchups may look like.
Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene in 2020 when the UFC was restricted to holding all its events at Fight Island due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chimaev made his UFC debut by defeating John Phillips via submission and returned just 10 days later to secure another win. Currently, Chimaev holds the record for the fastest turnaround between fights in UFC history. Chimaev won big with the fans due to his ability to take his opponents down early and get finishes in his first three fights. Chimaev’s career has been plagued at times due to his getting sick and having to pull out of four fights within four years. When Chimaev does fight, he is a threat to any athlete in front of him. In his career, Chimaev has wins over Kevin Holland, Gilbert Burns, and Kamaru Usman. Chimaev is the favorite to defeat Robert Whittaker; however, this fight could be different because Whittaker is no easy task. The keys to victory for Chimaev are to constantly look for the takedown against Whittaker, dominate him on the ground, and, once in a good position, search for ground and pound until the referee has seen enough.
In front of Chimaev is the well-known UFC veteran and former Middleweight Champion Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker. Whittaker is known for his decent ground game and karate-like fighting style. Whittaker made his UFC debut in 2012 in the welterweight division when he won the 2012 season of The Ultimate Fighter. After a few losses at welterweight, Whittaker decided to move up to the middleweight division, where he found most of his success. Whittaker went on a tear, winning nine consecutive fights from 2014 until his KO loss to Israel Adesanya in 2019. He is currently on a two-fight win streak, with a recent KO victory over Ikram Aliskerov and a decision win over Paulo Costa. The key to victory for Whittaker is to survive the early onslaught from Chimaev. If he gets taken down, he should focus on escaping any position that could lead to a submission or knockout. Whittaker should then take advantage of an exhausted Chimaev, keep his distance, and explode with clean shots to try to hurt him.
Against Chimaev, Whittaker is in for a tough fight. One factor in Whittaker's favor, especially if he endures the early pressure and takedown attempts from Chimaev, is that Chimaev doesn’t have the best gas tank. In Chimaev’s last fight against Kamaru Usman, he was gassed by the third round, and against an opponent like Whittaker, who has extensive experience in five-round fights, that could be a major disadvantage for Chimaev. We have never really seen Whittaker fight anyone who can take down opponents as quickly as Chimaev, which is why it's hard to pick a winner for this fight. However, I’m going with the hype train and predicting Chimaev will win.
Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
Ilia Topuria joined the UFC in 2020, and since then, he has looked like one of the most dangerous fighters in the organization. What makes Topuria so dangerous is his crisp boxing, power, and jiu-jitsu skills, which are often overlooked due to his striking. Topuria is known to constantly pressure his opponents, and when his opponent’s back is against the cage, he cuts an angle and throws clean hooks. That same technique has knocked out Damon Jackson, Jai Herbert, and former Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. Volkanovski was dominant in the Featherweight Division, so the fact that Topuria knocked him out cold is truly impressive, especially considering that Volkanovski defeated Holloway three times. Although Volkanovski defeated Holloway three times, Holloway was no easy fight. The key to victory for Topuria is to pressure Holloway and counter his boxing with heavy strikes. Topuria also has an underrated ground game that he could incorporate into his game plan.
Veteran Max Holloway has fought in the UFC since early 2012. He is the current BMF Champion and a former Featherweight Champion, having shared the octagon with some of the best fighters in the world, including Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira, Anthony Pettis, José Aldo, and Justin Gaethje, just to name a few. Holloway is coming off a buzzer-beater knockout win over former BMF Champion Justin Gaethje. He was undefeated in the Featherweight Division from 2014 to 2019 until he lost to Alexander Volkanovski. Most champions take a loss and usually aren’t able to stay on top of the division, but not Holloway. His clean boxing, fast pace, and pressure are just too much for most fighters to deal with. Since Holloway lost his title in late 2019, he has been able to stay on the top of the Featherweight for four years straight. The key to victory for Holloway is to beat Topuria to the punch; he should also pressure Topuria to prevent himself from being backed up against the cage.
As of right now, Topuria is the favorite to beat Holloway in the eyes of the oddsmakers. One reason I can agree with them is that the last time we saw a really good boxer, Volkanovski, fight Holloway, Holloway got pieced up for five rounds straight. Given Topuria’s speed and power, that could be detrimental for Holloway. However, we have never seen anyone with hands as fast as Holloway fight Topuria. I’m not confident enough to pick a winner for this fight, so I will leave my prediction out. UFC 308 is set to be a stacked card, with four fighters putting their undefeated records on the line. As with every Abu Dhabi card, MMA fans in the United States are treated to an early start, with the main card beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
