After an incredible back and forth UFC 308 Main Event, Ilia Topuria became the first man to KO Max Holloway with a brutal third round knockout to retain his UFC Featherweight championship.
Topuria improved to 16-0 (8-0 UFC) with the emphatic win, securing his 14th finish and fifth UFC knockout. The win is also Topuria’s first defense of the featherweight title he won in February against Alexander Volkanovski.
Holloway now holds a 26-8 (22-8 UFC) record in MMA while suffering his first career knockout loss. Holloway has lost his last four title fights.
Ilia Topuria Seals First Title Defense With Historic KO
Topuria was a man of his word to start the fight, as he walked to the center of the cage and challenged Holloway to throw down. Holloway intelligently declined, and the two began to exchange.
Topuria landed some big strikes early before emphatically slamming Holloway to the floor. Holloway quickly worked back to his feet and managed to work his kicks well at range, a key part of his gameplan.
Holloway’s check left hook was finding the mark, and his jab started to land more comfortably as Round 2 continued. Topuria stayed heavy on the front foot and continued to force Holloway into exchanges in the pocket where both men landed heavy punches.
These types of exchanges continued into Round 3, before Topuria unleashed a massive straight right hand that visually stunned the Hawaiian early. The champion swarmed with some massive blows to Holloway’s body and head, but it seemed Holloway had evaded trouble despite still being rocked.
This couldn’t be further from the case, as Topuria became calm and continued stalking. Another massive combination forced Holloway towards the fence, where Topuria took full advantage and landed a massive left hook in the pocket that sent Holloway flying to the floor.
Topuria quickly followed up to seal the deal and became the first man to knockout Max Holloway in Round 3 of an epic title clash. The stoppage came 1:34 into the round.
UFC Fighters React to Topuria’s Performance
What did you think of Ilia Topuria’s massive KO win? Should Topuria rematch Alexander Volkanovski next? Let us know in the comments below!
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