The featherweight title will be on the line in Abu Dhabi as Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaez also go to war in a matchup of middleweight contenders.
Following the UFC 307 event that saw Alex Pereira once again successfully defend his light heavyweight title against Khalil Roundtree Jr. with a fourth-round knockout, Abu Dhabi is set to play host to a featherweight title fight at UFC 308 on October 26. Max Holloway, coming off his thrilling bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, will have a chance to take the championship off Ilia Topuria, currently ranked as the fourth best pound-for-pound fighter in all of UFC. The champion has yet to lose a fight in his career, sporting a 15-0-0 record and winning the belt off Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.
The fight with Holloway will be his first title defense and represents a significant challenge to kick off what is predicted to be a lengthy title reign. Holloway is one of the best boxers in all of UFC and features what could be the strongest chin in the entire sport. Despite having been beaten by Volkanovski multiple times, Holloway presents a different type of fight for Topuria than what the champion faced from the former title holder. Topuria will aim to keep the fight on the ground, but Holloway has incredible takedown defense and will be throwing haymakers all night in an attempt to claim a knockout victory.
On DraftKings sportsbook, Topuria is still a -230 favorite on the moneyline, indicating that the operator and many others still believe the champion will walk away with his title at the end of the night. Holloway, listed at +190, will be highly motivated going into his first title fight in quite some time, and is one of the hardest fighters in the UFC to finish before the final bell rings. Taking the bout to go the distance at +120 seems like an intriguing wager for bettors, along with the -5.5 point spread Holloway is given at +100 odds. Even in the event of a Topuria victory, it's safe to assume Holloway will still get his punches in and if he manages to defend takedown attempts well, the judges should keep the fight close throughout.
In a fight between middleweight title hopefuls, Khazmat Chimaev will put his 13-0-0 record on the line against Robert Whittaker and is coming off an uninspiring victory over Kamaru Usman. Usman took the fight on two week’s notice and had never fought in the middleweight division prior, but managed to take Chimaev to a decision, losing by majority. The Russian fighter burst onto the UFC scene with two victories within a 10-day span, but due to injuries, illnesses and weight-cutting issues, he now has two fights in slightly more than two years.
He still stands as a strong -245 favorite on DraftKings and is the 13th-ranked middleweight contender heading into UFC 308. With Whittaker, currently at +200, claiming the number three position, this fight could be Chimaev’s first opportunity to prove he is worthy of a title shot. Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis just laid waste to rival Israel Adesanya and defeated Sean Strickland to originally capture the title. A win over Whittaker would mean the top three contenders have all exercised their title opportunity, leaving only Chimaev or Nassourdine Imavov as realistic number one contenders.
Before Chimaev and Whittaker kicks off, Lerone Murphy and Dan Ige will fight in a featherweight with both attempting to prove they are worthy of a possible title shot against the winner of Topuria and Holloway. There are a number of worthy contenders in the featherweight division, but recency can play a huge factor in who gets an opportunity at the top prize.
Murphy opened around -170 and is now listed at -290 on DraftKings. His mixture of striking and wrestling will be a handful for Ige, who is a similarly well-rounded fighter. Where things start to get out of control for Ige is in his tendency to get taken down and not be able to find a way back to his feet. With most other things being fairly even, Murphy's ability to put Ige on his back and keep him there will likely be the deciding factor in the fight. It seems unlikely fans see a finish in this one, which could make Murphy via decision the smart play for bettors.
Starting off the main card will be the 14-0-0 Shara Magomedov taking on Armen Petrosyan in a middleweight bout that could finally push the Russian into the top 15 rankings of the division. The fight will also be his first pay-per-view bout since UFC 294 when he defeated Bruno Silva by unanimous decision.
The fight should be an entertaining pure striking bout between two talented throwers. Magomedov is a kick-first fighter while Petrosyan will look to rely on closing distance and letting his hands fly to search for a knockout victory. On paper, it's a competitive fight with Magomedov a -162 favorite on DraftKings. A minor Petrosyan upset at +136 isn't out of the question but the safer play for bettors is to think he can at least win one round to hit the +3.5 point spread at -175.
