Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway Fight Prediction - October 26, 2024
Ilia Topuria
Max Holloway
On Saturday, October 26, the main event of UFC 308 will showcase a thrilling featherweight title fight (up to 65.8 kg) between Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria and American Max Holloway. The question is whether Holloway can reclaim the coveted title against the powerful and unpredictable Topuria. Here’s the expert prediction from the Dailysports team.
Ilia Topuria
Born in Germany, Ilia Topuria moved to Georgia as a child, where he began training in Greco-Roman wrestling. At 15, he relocated to Spain and eventually gained Spanish citizenship. A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Topuria made his professional MMA debut in 2015.
Topuria has primarily fought in the featherweight division, though he once contended for the bantamweight title in Cage Warriors, missing weight for that bout. Since joining the UFC in 2020, he has won all six of his fights. In his last match in February, he defeated Alexander Volkanovski with a knockout in the second round, claiming the UFC featherweight title.
Max Holloway
Max Holloway began training in kickboxing at 15 and later added Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his skill set, achieving a brown belt. Debuting in professional MMA in 2010 and joining the UFC in 2012, Holloway quickly rose to prominence. In 2016, he claimed the interim featherweight title, unifying it with the undisputed title in 2017.
Holloway defended his title three times before losing it to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019. He faced Volkanovski again in 2020 and 2022, both times narrowly losing by decision. Since then, Holloway has strung together three victories, with his latest win in April coming by a last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje, earning him the symbolic BMF title. Holloway currently holds UFC featherweight records for wins (20), finishes (11), and knockouts (9).
Fight Prediction
Seeing Holloway as an underdog is unusual, but he remains an elite fighter and arguably the UFC’s best striker. He has the potential to outpoint Topuria or even finish him with a knockout. The fight is likely to last more than half the scheduled rounds. The best betting option seems to be "Total Over 2.5" rounds at odds of 1.57.
