Topuria-Holloway, Whittaker-Chimaev lead UFC 308
Ilia Topuria will defend the featherweight championship against Max Holloway on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308, the promotion announced Saturday.
The card also features Robert Whittaker versus Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight tilt, Magomed Ankalaev against Aleksandar Rakic in a light heavyweight contest, and Rafael dos Anjos returning to welterweight opposite Geoff Neal.
Topuria and Holloway will settle their score after going back and forth on social media for months. Holloway entrenched himself as the undoubted top contender after a viral knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 that won him Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses.
Topuria will put his belt on the line for the first time since knocking out long-reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski to win the title in February. Topuria owns a 15-0 career record with 13 finishes.
Holloway, the former champion at 145 pounds, has only lost to Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier (in a lightweight fight) since 2014.
In the co-headliner, the UFC rebooked Whittaker and Chimaev after an illness pulled the latter from the main event of a Fight Night in Saudi Arabia in June. Chimaev, who's 13-0, has only fought once since the beginning of 2023 after making an impact during the COVID-19 pandemic by winning three times in three months.
In another high-stakes bout, Ankalev returns to fight another contender after failing to secure a title shot against Alex Pereira. He's 18-1-1 (1 NC) but has only a win over Johnny Walker since fighting Jan Blachowicz to a draw in December 2022.
The UFC also announced a previously reported heavyweight matchup between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov for the card.