Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory against Max HollowayChris Unger/Zuffa LLC
In the end, Ilia Topuria did exactly what he said he’d do.
The featherweight champion was back in action in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 308 card in Abu Dhabi, defending his belt against one of the best fighters in the division’s history, Max Holloway. Ahead of time, Topuria repeatedly told us that he would become the first man to knock Holloway out — something the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje have all failed to do — and as doubtful as it seemed, he did it.
He did it in style, clobbering his challenger with a sizzling left hook.
“I don’t know what to say,” Topuria said his stunning knockout win, which occurred midway through the third round. “To beat a legend like Max Holloway, I can’t believe it. I followed his whole career.
“I represent the new generation and I hope I can be a small portion of the representation that he’s been for me.”
While Topuria ultimately won his fight with Holloway in emphatic fashion, the fight was close through the first two rounds. Many viewers seemed to score the first round for Holloway, who had some great success with his jab and his kicks to the body early on.
However, the tide began to turn in Topuria’s favor in the second, and in the third, he was even more aggressive — with decisive results.
“Not at all man,” Holloway told commentator Daniel Cormier when he was asked if anything about Topuria’s performance surprised him. “He just landed a shot, and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did.
“I felt a great till I didn’t. That’s the sport. Hat’s off to him. No excuses. I had a great camp… He was the better man tonight.”
Being the first man to knock out a legend like Max Holloway is a monumental achievement for Topuria, who is still just 27 years old — which also happens to make him the youngest active champion in the UFC.
Amazingly, it’s not the first such achievement on his resume either. Earlier this year, Topuria scored a similarly stunning knockout win over another living MMA legend, Alexander Volkanovski — that time in the first round.
For Topuria to close out 2024 with knockout wins over Volkanovski and Holloway in the rear-view mirror is simply more impressive than can be described.
His wins over the two legends will also ensure he’s a big betting favorite heading into his next fight — whomever he ends up fighting.
The top contender at the moment would seem to be the No. 3-ranked Diego Lopes, who is fresh off a lopsided decision win over former two-time title challenger Brian Ortega. He was in Abu Dhabi as an understudy if Holloway or Topuria failed to make it to the Octagon, which implies he is still in position for a title shot now that the fight is over.
However, Volkanovski also seems to be in prime position for a rematch with Topuria. The former champ, still ranked No. 1 in the weight class, defended his belt five times before losing it to the current champ, and has been calling for a shot at redemption on that basis since. Heading into UFC 308, it seemed somewhat unlikely that he’d get the opportunity before the streaking Lopes, but he was invited into the Octagon during Topuria’s post-fight interview, which implies the UFC likes the idea.
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
One way or the other, there’s no question the future is bright for Topuria.
The Georgian, who now lives in Spain, has been a star since he knocked out Volkanovski earlier this year. Shortly after winning the belt with that performance, he received a hero’s welcome at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in front of 85,000 Real Madrid fans. Soon thereafter, he was awarded the Order of Honor by the President of Georgia inside Tbilisi’s Orbeliani Palace. He is loved in both of his home countries, and his star will undoubtedly burn brighter than ever after his stunning knockout win over Holloway — so much so that he may even headline the UFC’s planned debut in Spain next year.
Whomever, wherever, and whenever he fights next, he has single-handedly ushered in a new era in the featherweight division.