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- What: UFC 308 Main Event
- Who: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
- Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
- Location: Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Time: Early Prelims (TBA), Prelims (TBA), Pay-Per-View Card (2:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (ESPN+) Prelims (ESPNews), Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
The next UFC pay-per-view fight card, UFC 308, takes place on Saturday, October 26, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the main event of the ESPN+ PPV card, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defends his title against former champion Max Holloway. Here is some background on the fighters before we look at the betting breakdown for UFC 308.
Ilia Topuria (15-0) captured the UFC featherweight title in February with a dominant knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski, the fighter who handed Holloway three of his seven career losses. Topuria is 7-0 in the UFC with five finishes.
Max Holloway (26-7) has won his past three fights since dropping a decision to Volkanovski in their trilogy bout in 2022. Holloway is coming off an April knockout win over Justin Gaethje in a fight that earned him the BMF title. That knockout is in the running for 2024’s KO of the year, as is Topuria’s KO of Volkanovski. Holloway has a 22-7 UFC record.
Before we look at the best bets for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway on the UFC 308 PPV card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
UFC 308 main event: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |
| Max Holloway | +180 | +175 | +170 |
| Ilia Topuria | -210 | -230 | -210 |
Ilia Topuria betting breakdown
An extremely confident fighter, Ilia Topuria has never been on the losing end of an MMA fight. The 27-year-old has five career knockout wins, eight submission victories, and two decision nods. His 2023 win over Josh Emmett was the first time he went to decision since his UFC debut in 2020, and also marked the first time he competed in a five-round scrap. Topuria has earned performance bonuses in each of his past four UFC outings.
Topuria is a well-rounded competitor with no glaring weaknesses, and can fight on the feet or on the mat. Topuria’s victory over Emmett was an eye-opener. That contest was the first real test of Topuria’s career, and he passed with flying colors, winning 50-44, 50-42, 49-45 on the scorecards. He overwhelmed Emmett in every aspect of the bout. He followed that with an impressive knockout win over Volkanovski to claim the UFC title.
Topuria, who fights out of Germany, lands 4.40 significant strikes per minute and absorbs 3.35 strikes every 60 seconds. He lands 1.85 takedowns per 15 minutes. The champ lands 46 percent of his strike attempts and has a striking defense of 65 percent. His takedown defense rate is 92 percent.
The one knock against Topuria is his confidence. Since he has yet to lose a fight, he can sometimes get reckless or overconfident. He cannot overextend himself against a savvy veteran like Holloway, who is one of the most effective boxers in the game.
Max Holloway betting breakdown
The No. 2 ranked UFC featherweight, Max Holloway, has established himself as the standard for striking volume and output in the UFC. The Hawaiian holds the UFC career record for significant strikes landed (3,378). Holloway also owns UFC records in total strikes landed (3,622). The former champ’s 2021 bout opposite Calvin Kattar saw him set records in striking differential (plus 312), significant strikes landed (445), significant strikes attempted (744), distance strikes landed (439), significant head strikes landed (274), significant body strikes landed (117), total strikes landed (447) and total strikes attempted (746). Only one UFC featherweight has managed to outstrike Holloway over the past 11 years, and that man is the current champion, Alexander Volkanovksi. In 29 career UFC fights, no one has dropped Holloway to the mat via strikes.
Holloway lands an average of 7.17 significant strikes per minute with a striking accuracy of 48 percent. He absorbs 4.72 significant strikes per minute with a striking defense of 59 percent. Holloway averages 0.25 takedowns per 15 minutes. The ex-UFC champ has a takedown accuracy of 53 percent and a takedown defense of 84 percent.
While Holloway has fantastic cardio to go with his high-output style, he doesn’t have one punch stopping power, and he often relies on his strong chin when he gets into a slugfest.
Best Bets: UFC 308 Main Event – Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
The matchup between Topuria and Holloway is appointment viewing for combat sports fans. This is a power vs. volume matchup, and it’s a hard fight to pick. However, as Holloway gets older his reliance on his chin gets riskier against young, heavy-handed opponents. The ex-champ has also been wearing damage a lot worse as of late and Topuria can inflict land heavy strikes. However, Topuria’s undefeated record might lead him to take risks that he shouldn’t against Holloway, who can put out a lot of volume in the striking department.
This should be an excellent featherweight bout, but the betting pick is for Ilia Topuria to retain his title with a decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 308.
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