And still. UFC 308 might have forced him to miss El Clasico (maybe for the best, since his beloved Real Madrid lost 4-0 to Barcelona), but Ilia Topuria spent the time well, vaulting himself to a new level of stardom with a third-round knockout of Max Holloway on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
Topuria was already a champion. Now he’s on his way to MMA greatness. But he’s not the only one who made an impact at UFC 308. Here are the key takeaways from the day’s action.
1. Ilia Topuria might just be the single best fighter in the world right now
Nobody knocks out Max Holloway. Not ever. He’s been in there with the best from a couple of different eras and divisions, and no one has ever really come close to putting him away with strikes. Not until now.
I won’t say Topuria made it look easy, but he did make it look inevitable. The way he hunted Holloway from the start, landing with speed and precision and power without ever having to force things — there was just no chance for Holloway to get his own game going in any sustained fashion. Topuria has so many strengths and, at least so far, really no known weaknesses. It’s hard to see who in this division is going to knock him off that throne.
2. Stop messing around and give Khamzat Chimaev the next middleweight title shot
I’ll admit that his last performance had me doubting him, but anyone who can force Robert Whittaker to tap inside of one round has to be considered a top contender for the 185-pound title. Maybe there are still questions about Chimaev’s ability to win a long, grinding fight, but that’s not such an issue if you keep ending things before you ever get there.
Instead of making UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis run it back against Sean Strickland, we should get some new blood into the title picture. I know there might be travel issues for Chimaev, not to mention a question of consistency after fighting an average of once a year lately, but still — once you put away “Bobby Knuckles,” there aren’t any opponents who make sense except the champion.
3. Magomed Ankalaev somehow manages to be the least compelling yet undeniable title contender in the entire UFC
Yes, he won. Again. Then he got on the mic and said the right words aimed at Alex Pereira, even if he had to be coached all the way through it.
But is anyone really feeling excited about seeing Ankalaev fight for the strap? It feels like something we have to do, if only because at some point it gets pretty ridiculous to keep reaching past him in the rankings to find people for the champ to fight.
If Pereira isn’t going to move up or down in weight to challenge for any other titles, then I guess he has to defend the belt against Ankalaev next. It would just be nice if that felt less like a dreary obligation.
4. Shara “Bullet” gave us a new one for the highlight reel
The double spinning backfist knockout? Feels like something you’d do in a video game when it’s the only move you know. But Shara Magomedov made it work against Armen Petrosyan, giving him his fourth straight UFC victory and second knockout win in the UFC.
The big question is, what’s the ceiling on this guy? Not only in terms of talent, but usability. All his UFC bouts have come in either Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia. It’s unclear if he can fight in America or if the UFC will even want to try to make that happen. That leaves a rise to the title looking a lot more dubious.
5. If you only watch one fight from the UFC 308 prelims, make it Mateusz Rebecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai
With as bad as these two are going to feel the morning after, the least we can all do is appreciate the battle they put each other through. Orolbai’s right eye was effectively closed for business by the end of the first round. Rebecki got sliced open by a clash of heads in the second and proceeded to pour about two pints of blood on the mat. Still, they went hard until the final horn.
I think a decision win for Rebecki was the right call, but Orolbai’s grit and heart deserves recognition, too. It’s not easy to stand out from the prelims on a card like this, but those two did it.
