UFC 308: Five Things We Learned

UFC 308: Five Things We Learned

UFC 308 featured some of the best MMA fights the UFC could book. Those bouts did not disappoint. The main event was a sensational fight and the main card was rounded out with strong performances. Let’s recap the performances with the biggest lessons we learned from the event.

Ilia Topuria Is The Best Fighter In The World

Ilia Topuria looked sensational in the UFC 308 main event. The champion defended his title for the first time with a third-round knockout against Max Holloway.

This was a sensational performance from Topuria. That is partially because of the way Holloway fought. The challenger had a smart game plan and cleaned up a few flaws. Holloway used his left hook to occupy Topuria’s right hand, diversified his striking attack with kicks, landed oblique kicks, had sensational footwork, circled off the fence, improved at fighting while moving backward, and more.

Topuria overcame all of Holloway’s great work and landed big strikes. Topuria did a great job of landing his left hook. This was crucial as it made it harder for Holloway to exit off the fence. Furtermore, he was chopping at Holloway’s legs. In the second round, he began to find the right hook to an extent. Eventually, he landed a big hook in the third round that hurt Holloway. Once Topuria had Holloway hurt, he followed up with big strikes until he landed a left hook that ended the fight.

This was a straight-up ridiculous performance from Topuria. His pure boxing ability is remarkable. At the same time, he landed a takedown and mixed in leg kicks. Topuria is not a one-trick pony.

In my opinion, Topuria is the best fighter on the planet. In the future, that should only become more clear as he shows more layers to his game. I do not think anyone will beat him in a very long time.

Max Holloway Is Elite And Still Getting Better

On the opposite side of the UFC 308 main event, Holloway suffered the first knockout loss of his professional career. I do not think it is time for Holloway fans to panic, however.

A lot of times, when a fighter is knocked out for the first time it is the beginning of the end. I do not think that is the case for Holloway. In recent years, we have consistently seen him grow and improve. Despite having a ton of miles on the tires, he is only 32 years old. Plus, he can move up to lightweight and have an easier weight cut.

In the lightweight division, Holloway can strike with any fighter in the division. We have already seen him defeat Justin Gaethje in a striking matchup. Can he grapple against dominant wrestlers? That is tougher to say. We have not seen Holloway fight a physically dominant wrestler. At a minimum, he can go up to lightweight and have fan-friendly scraps against the division’s best strikers.

Khamzat Chimaev Finally Sets All Doubts Aside

In the UFC 308 co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round. This is the type of performance that people expect from Chimaev.

Chimaev did a great job of immediately getting this fight to the ground. In the first minute of the fight, he landed a low double leg to get Whittaker down. In the top position, Chimaev calmly controlled the position while looking to work to the back. Eventually, he got to the back and landed a face crank.

The past few years have been tumultuous for Chimaev. We have seen him move weight classes, miss weight, get injured, be sidelined for long periods, and much more. Plus, he made an absolute fool of himself in the lead-up to UFC 279. At UFC 308, Chimaev fought well and acted with much more maturity.

This is the type of fight that makes you believe Chimaev can handle becoming a UFC champion. That is on top of the fact that he beat a sensational and earned a title fight.

Magomed Ankalaev Shows Off His Striking

At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev picked up a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic. The victory should put Ankalaev in a position to fight for the title.

This was a bizarre fight in certain aspects. It was largely a kickboxing bout. That gave Rakic a decent chance to win. That said, Ankalaev still landed the better strikes and won the fight.

It is impressive to see Ankalaev fight with a poor game plan and win. At the same time, it is tough knowing he could have looked far better than he did. Anakalaev would have had serious advantages in boxing and wrestling exchanges. Plus, Rakic does not have the cleanest defensive striking.

In all likelihood, Ankalaev will get a title fight off of this victory. The division simply lacks any other competent challengers.

UFC 307: 5 Things We Learned

Lerone Murphy Climbs The Rankings

At UFC 308, Lerone Murphy picked up a decision win over Dan Ige. The victory marked his second-ranked win. It looks like it is time for him to continue climbing up the rankings.

This was a very close fight. Ultimately, Murphy did enough to win. It was not the type of fight that left you shocked by Murphy’s skills; however, that is not an easy task when you are fighting Ige. That is especially true if you are not a dominant grappler.

Murphy deserves to get a top-ten fight. That is what happens when you have an undefeated UFC record with wins over Ige and Edson Barboza.

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