UFC 308 Preview And Predictions

UFC 308 Preview And Predictions

UFC 308 is one of the most stacked pay-per-view events of the year. It helps that the main event is the best MMA fight that can be booked. As if that isn’t enough, the main card is filled out with fights that hold serious weight on future title contenders as well as fan-friendly matchups that should be entertaining. It’s going to be a great day of fights.

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC 308 main card. You can find our prediction records below.

James: 111-82

Garrett: 111-82

Anthony: 115-78

Jerry: 95-81

Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan- Middleweight Bout

James: The UFC 308 main card opener is a middleweight bout between Shara Magomedov and Armen Petroysan. Magomedov is off to a hot start in the UFC as he sits with a 3-0 record. Petroysan is slightly more tested in the octagon and has a 3-2 record as a result. 

Magomedov is a flashy striker who those a ton of kicks. For the most part, his main target areas are the body and legs. That does not mean he is unwilling to mix head kicks into his arsenal, however. At times, he will also throw combinations by adding punches alongside his kicks. On the inside, he looks to land knees and elbows. This style is only effective because he has the speed to pull it off. 

Petrosyan is a solid distance kickboxer. The best strikes in his arsenal are his jab, straight, and kicks to the body and kicks. This is nothing overly complicated, but it is effective. 

This UFC 308 main card opener previews to be a striking-based fight. Magomedov and Petrosyan are both terrible grapplers. If you compare the two, Petroysan is the less terrible of the pair. Still, this will likely be a close striking matchup. I favor Petrosyan because his game is much more substance over flashiness. The same cannot be said for Magomedov. I will take Petrosyan by decision. 

Garrett: Magomedov via decision

Anthony: Magomedov via decision

Jerry: Magomedov via decision

No. 12 Lerone Murphy vs. No. 14 Dan Ige- Featherweight Bout

James: At UFC 308, Lerone Murphy will fight Dan Ige. This is a sensational bout that has the potential to be one of the best fights on the card. Murphy is coming off a career-best performance against Edson Barboza that showed he deserved a chance to climb the featherweight rankings. On top of that, he has had an impressive UFC run where he has gone 6-0-1. Ige quickly became a fan favorite in his last fight. That is what happens when you agree to fight Diego Lopes on hours’ notice. That is backed by a resume with several brawls and great knockouts. Overall, he is 10-7 in the UFC. The record does not jump off the page, but that is what happens when you consistently fight elite featherweights. 

Murphy has a lot of impressive skills. In striking exchanges, he is a solid boxer who lands clean straight shots. This can be accomplished from either stance. This is present alongside the explosiveness required to land dynamic knockouts. On the defensive side of this, Murphy has become a difficult fighter to hit and he stays safe when exchanging in the pocket. 

Ige is a great boxer as well. In the pocket, he can throw from both stances and switches stances in combination. These combinations include punches to the head and body. This is present while landing with serious power. Ige can be hit and hit clean, but he has a great chin and is tough to finish.

This UFC 308 preview favors Murphy. I have always liked Murphy’s game and believed he was the best prospect in the featherweight division. In his most recent pouting against Barboza, he put together all of his tools and showed that he is beginning to peak. As much as I love Ige, it is difficult to side against Muprhy considering the timing. As far as the stylistic matchup goes, I expect Murphy to have a slight striking edge because he is harder to hit. If any clinch or grappling exchanges take place, Murphy will be the better fight in those realms. That is a lot of evidence that Murphy wins a decision. I will take Murphy by decision. 

Garrett: Murphy via decision

Anthony: Murphy via decision

Jerry: Murphy via KO/TKO

Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 8 Signee Rankings

No. 1 Magomed Ankalaev vs. No. 5 Aleksander Rakic- Light Heavyweight Bout

James: UFC 308 features a light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksander Rakic. This bout will likely determine the next light heavyweight title challenger. Anakalaev is 10-1-1 in the UFC with a no contest. The issue is that his draw came in a title fight against Jan Blachowicz. Plus, he followed that up with a no-contest against Johnny Walker. Thankfully for him, he landed a knockout in a rematch with Walker. That sparked title discussions once again. Rakic is coming off a loss against Jiri Prochazka. The positive for him is that the bout was a fan-friendly brawl. A win over Ankalaev could seriously spark a title run. 

Ankalaev is one of the few light heavyweights with actual legitimate grappling skills. Furthermore, he is still capable of winning striking exchanges and he has a good amount of size. It is a great combination in this division. Ankalaev can land takedowns and ride control time to a decision while also having the power to land knockouts. The issue is that Ankalaev will always manage to take the path of most resistance. In nearly every fight, he will put together an awful game plan. It is truly remarkable. 

Rakic is a solid fighter for the division. He has a strong combination of punches, kicks, and wrestling. Rakic hits hard and has serious kicks. This gives him a lot of finish upside. The flaws are that he does not have sensational cardio, can be finished, and lacks defense. 

This UFC 308 bout is an interesting one. That is simply because you never know what you are going to get from Ankalaev. In a striking-based bout, Rakic has finish upside and will be landing leg kicks. This may end up being a close decision. At the same time, Ankalaev can land a big punch in the pocket that ends the fight. That is present on top of his grappling upside. I will take Ankalaev by decision. 

Garrett: Ankalaev via TKO

Anthony: Ankalaev via decision

Jerry: Ankalaev via decision

No. 3 Robert Whittaker vs. No. 13 Khamzat Chimaev- Middleweight Bout 

James: The UFC 308 co-main event features a middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. Whittaker has won consecutive bouts which has put him back into title conversations. That is deserved considering he is one the best middleweights of this era. Since moving up to middleweight in 2014, he is 14-3. All three losses have come against UFC champions. Chimaev is one of the top prospects in recent memory, but he has failed to consistently fight because of outside-the-octagon issues. That said, when he is active, he has been impressive. Chimaev has a 7-0 UFC record with five finish wins. If he can get past Whittaker, he should have enough momentum to finally get a title fight. 

Whittaker is a sensational fighter with a well-rounded skill set. This begins with his striking prowess. At a distance, Whittaker is sensational at establishing his jab. Once he gets a feel for the range, he can begin to add shots behind his jab and throw in combinations. Those combinations include punches and kicks. Additionally, Whittaker is light on his feet which helps him get in and out of the pocket. In the grappling realm, Whittaker has shown great takedown defense while also mixing in some offensive wrestling depending on the matchup. 

Chimaev is a dominant grappler. The game plan is to offensivrely wrestling early and often. Well, sometimes the often part of the equation does not come into play because he finishes the fight. Chimaev has great takedowns and is elite at advancing to dangerous positions. In those spots, he has the BJJ to land chokes while also being able to damage strikes. On the feet, Chimaev lacks technicality; however,  he swings with dangerous intent. At a minimum, his opponents have to respect his power. 

The UFC 308 co-main event preview is an interesting one. The aspect of this fight that is so unique is that both fighters have the potential to take advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses. In recent outings, Whittaker has struggled with physical opponents and his durability has faded. Meanwhile, Chimaev fades badly when he cannot land an early finish. This is a five-round fight. If he gets to the third, Whittaker will have a good chance of finishing Chimaev with strikes. Ultimately, I believe Chimaev gets the job done early. That isn’t said without recognizing Whittaker’s legitimate path to getting a victory. I will take Chimaev by first-round submission. 

Garrett: Chimaev via decision

Anthony: Whittaker via KO/TKO

Jerry: Whittaker via decision

How Long Can Ilia Topuria Rule The UFC Featherweight Division? 

(C) Ilia Topruia vs. No. 2 Max Holloway- Featherweight Championship Bout

James: The UFC 308 main event features a featherweight title bout between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. This is the best fight the UFC could put together at the moment. This matchup pits two of the world’s best fighters against one another. Topuria is the youngest champion in the UFC. At just 27 years old, he landed a second-round knockout against Alexander Volkanovski to win the title. If that isn’t enough, he has a perfect 15-0 record with 13 finishes. Holloway, 32, has been in the UFC for 12 years. In that time he has 22-7. More importantly, he has a laundry list of accolades. Holloway is the former UFC featherweight champion, he defended the title four times, won the BMF title, and is the UFC record holder for the most significant landed. Despite his impressive career, his UFC 300 knockout against Justin Gaethje has elevated him to new levels of popularity. 

Topuria is the best pure boxer in the UFC. Despite being five-foot-seven, he uses sensational footwork to get into boxing range. This allows him to get in the pocket and rip combinations. Topuria is quick, accurate, intelligent, and powerful. This allows him to land often. That is never good for his opponent because it only takes one clean shot for him to finish the fight. This is present alongside an impressive grappling game and serious submission skills. Topuria is not a striker that you can attempt to out-grapple. The flaws in his game are sparse. The biggest issue is that his striking mostly consists of boxing. Topuria rarely throws weapons outside of his hands. This heavy boxing style also has the potential to open up defensive flaws. In the cardio department, he has shown the ability to fight for five rounds, but it came in a fight where he was dominating Josh Emmett. Topuria has never been seriously tested in the late rounds. 

Holloway is one of the most complete strikers in MMA history. In striking exchanges, he can adapt to the style that is needed to win a fight. In recent fights, Holloway has shown the ability to be a tactical point fighter, a high-volume workhouse, and a knockout artist. At the time, the type of strikes he throws will change. Holloway has a great jab, straight punches, combinations, elbows, and kicks. In every fight, his recipe to land will result in some of these weapons being thrown at a higher rate than usual. For example, against Gaethje he threw more spinning back kicks than usual. The problem for Holloway is that he can fit cleanly. At times, he will hand around in the pocket for too long and give his opponent a lot of chances to land. On top of that, he does not deal with leg kicks well. These are both flaws that were exposed in his trilogy with Volkanovski. 

The UFC 308 main event previews as a sensational fight. This bout felt inevitable and it will finally go down. In my opinion, the winner of this matchup will be the fighter with better footwork. Topuria is elite at getting in his opponent’s face and cutting off the cage. Holloway excels at getting his back off the cage and working back to the center of the octagon. The winner of that battle will put themselves in a position to win the fight. Another important factor will be Holloway’s kicks. In order to win this fight, Holloway needs to incorporate kicks to all three levels. This will help break Topuria’s boxing rhythm while dealing out damage and controlling range. That said, I lean toward Topuria. I think he will be able to land big in boxing exchanges. Plus, he is a fighter with a grappling upside. A handful of takedowns could swing a close round in his favor. The combination of heavy damaging shots should be enough to help him win three rounds. That said, he will have to survive Holloway’s late-round storm. The more damage he does in the early rounds, the easier that becomes. Regardless, I think Topuria slightly edges out a close decision. I will take Topuria by decision.

Garrett: Holloway via KO

Anthony: Topuria via decision

Jerry: Topuria via submission

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