Ilia Topuria knocked out another featherweight legend tonight at UFC 308 to retain his featherweight title and confirm his status as one of the best-of-the-best in the sport.
Round One:
The main event is underway in Abu Dhabi!
Topuria points to the center of the Octagon straight away, but Holloway doesn’t oblige and just points to where he’s standing.
They get to business. Front kick to the body for Holloway. He ducks under a punch from Topuria. Front kick to the body again from Holloway.
Calf kick from Holloway. Jab from Topuria. Holloway feels out with the jab. Body punch from Topuria. TOpuria drives into a takedown, hoists Holloway up and takes him down.
Holloway soon stands up against the cage, but Topuria sweeps his legs out to get him back down. Holloway stands again and gets free.
Holloway with a kick. Touria lands a punch. Topuria with a leg kick. He lands another. Right hand gets through for Topuria. He follows on with a flurry close to the cage, but Holloway manages to get away.
Good leg kick from Topuria and almost took Holloway’s leg out from under him. Topuria lands that kick again. Holloway with the front kick to the body again.
Leg kick for Holloway but not with the impact that Topuria’s does. Brief exchange. Holloway follows up a combo with a body kick.
Nice right hand from Holloway after Topuria threw. Holloway with a step-in one-two. He lands a left hook. Now a body kick.
Spinning kick to the body misses for Holloway. Right hand from Topuria and Holloway loses his balance momentarily and falls to the mat, but seems ok. Topuria goes down with him and takes his back, but it’s too late in the round to really get anything going.
Round Two:
Jab from Holloway and then a solid straight left behind another jab. Oblique kick for Holloway. Crafty jab from the challenger.
More jabs from Holloway and then circles away as Topuria comes forward with a harder strike. Topuria goes to the body with his jab a couple of times. Now a right over the top. Back to the calf kick he goes. Jab for Holloway.
Holloway steps into a knee, but Topuria slides away. Good right hand for Topuria and then a hard left behind it. Good chin from Holloway.
Calf kick from Topuria and then sneaks in an overhand right well again. Holloway works the jab. Another solid punch from Topuria.
Holloway commited to the jab, Topuria finding success with less frequent but harder single punches. Calf kick for the champion. Knee to the body from Holloway.
Good one-two for Holloway. Hard right hand for Topuria. Body kick for Holloway. Jab for himm. Oblique kick for Holloway. Jab and a body kick for Holloway and Topuria landed a punch too.
Topuria lands his right hand over the top again. Holloway struggling to see those coming so far, but wearing them well.
Nice punch from Holloway. Now a body kick. He lands the body kick again.
Round Three:
Topuria connects with a jab. Knee stomp for Holloway. Good body shot for Topuria. Holloway then rips to the body well too.
Topuria lands a huge straight right that seems to trouble Holloway, whose eyes roll up to the sky for a moment, and as he backs up against the cage Topuria unleashes with a big flurry of strikes. Holloway manages to get away under fire.
Topuria continuing to apply pressure though and lands a thumping left hook that floors Holloway! He immediately follows up with big hammer-fists on the mat, and that’s it, Topuria wins by KO at 1.34mins of the third round to retain his title and hand ‘Blessed’ his first ever knockout loss.
