It has been a busy time in terms of professional fighting with star studded boxing clashes, dramatic professional wrestling events and now amazing UFC showdowns dominating the sporting calendar. The next event in the octagon splitting the UFC betting odds is the clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at the end of the month.
Whether you’re an avid follower of every bout in the UFC or more of a casual fan we have you covered with all the key details of UFC 308 listed below. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this month’s big event.
The Basics: When and Where?
The first thing you need to know about UFC 308 is when it will be played out and where it will be held. The first aspect of that question was covered briefly above, but to be more specific, the event will be held on Saturday October 26, 2024.
Like boxing and professional wrestling, UFC isn’t immune to the monetary magnetic pull of the Middle East, so the event will be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
If you’re looking for even more details, here is the scheduled start time of the event in a number of locations:
EST: 2pm
CST: 1pm
MST: 12pm
GMT: 7pm
How to Watch
The event is Pay Per View (PPV) but will be available to buy or stream on the following services around the world:
Australia: Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet NOW
Europe: DAZN and Discovery Plus
New Zealand: Sky Sports Now
United Kingdom: TNT Sports
United States: ESPN+, Hulu +, Disney Bundle and Fubo
Who is Fighting?
Before you rush to buy a PPV pass you want to know who will be fighting. In total, including the preliminary card there are 13 bouts to sink your teeth into. On the Main Card though there are just the 5 clashes which we have listed out below:
Middleweight: Sharabutdin Magomedov vs Armen Petrosyan
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic
Featherweight: Lerone Murphy vs Dan Ige
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev
Featherweight: Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway
Whilst there are some interesting clashes, the main event of the night is the fight between defending featherweight champion Ilia Topuria from Georgia, against the American Max Holloway. Another fight of intrigue will be the clash between Australian middleweight Robert Whittaker and UAE fighter Khamzat Chimaev in a clash that is set to get the partisan home crowd roaring.
Who Wins?
With 13 fights in total scheduled, we’re not going to go into detail about who wins every single match up. Instead we’re going to focus on the two headline fights of the evening, starting with the middleweight clash between Whittaker and Chimaev.
Whittaker to Call on his Experience
The betting odds for this fight are slightly skewed, with Chimaev looking like the out and out favourite and Whittaker appearing to be a plucky underdog. Is that the relative truth or does it reflect the fact that a lot of excited fans from the UAE have patriotically backed the man who will be fighting for their national pride?
We think it’s the latter. Whilst Chimaev is an undoubtedly talented fighter set for great things, we just can’t look past the experience and knowhow of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Topuria – Holloway Too Close to Call
Call it sitting on the fence if you want, but we think this fight between the featherweight champion and number two ranked division fighter is too close to call. On the one hand, Topuria’s devastating power and relentless accuracy could prove too much for Holloway to handle.
On the other hand, Holloways’ resilience, fortitude and rapid fire combination skills could see him wear his opponent down and win on points. The fascinating thing about this fight is that each fighter’s strengths play into the other’s weaknesses, so it should make for a fascinating clash either way.
If you really, really pushed us to pick a winner though we’d have to go for Topuria (feel free to come back to the comments section and remind us of our lack of knowledge when both of our predictions are inevitably proved wrong.)
(Make no mistake, if Holloway slips up even just once, Topuria will knock him out.)
How Much is UFC 308?
If you’re hoping to get out and watch the event live, I’m afraid to say you’ve probably left things a little too late. The few tickets remaining are retailing for $2350/£3101. If you want to watch the event on TV instead here it’s likely to cost you between $50 and $80 depending on your subscription service.
If you’re watching outside of the United States it’s likely to be cheaper and could even be included for free in your subscription package (TNT subscribers in the UK should be able to watch for free.)