UFC 308: Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- 59 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 308: Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2 took place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It was Ilia Topuria's first featherweight title defense — the immediate rematch of his UFC 298 title win over Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. Topuria retained the title by KO at 3:56 of round three, ending the Topuria-Volkanovski series 2-0 and formally closing Volkanovski's title-chasing career. The card produced an estimated 500,000 pay-per-view buys.
Khamzat Chimaev defeated Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision in the co-main — a dominant wrestling and ground-and-pound performance that extended Chimaev's unbeaten MMA record to 14-0 and positioned him as the leading middleweight contender for a Dricus du Plessis title fight. Charles Oliveira suffered the second consecutive loss of his career at lightweight in the featured undercard bout.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
📍 Venue: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, UAE
👥 Attendance: 18,000 (full capacity)
📺 PPV Buys: ~500,000
🏆 Main Event: Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Alexander Volkanovski — UFC Featherweight Championship (145 lbs)
✅ Result: Topuria def. Volkanovski via KO (punches) — R3, 3:56
🥇 Co-Main: Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker via Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Middleweight
The Build-Up
Ilia Topuria had won the featherweight title at UFC 298 via KO R2. Volkanovski requested the immediate rematch; Topuria accepted. The series framing was straightforward — could Volkanovski make the stylistic adjustments in a full camp that had been unavailable to him at UFC 294 (11 days' notice) or at UFC 298 (full camp, still lost in R2)?
Topuria was -350; Volkanovski was +260. The Abu Dhabi venue — the same location as his Makhachev KO loss at UFC 294 — added a narrative layer. Volkanovski was fighting in the same city where his championship decline had accelerated.
Main Event: Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2
This time the fight went deeper. Rounds one and two were Volkanovski's most competitive in the series — he used his volume striking and his takedown defense to keep the fight standing and land clean combinations. His new game plan — staying on the outside and not walking into Topuria's counter range as aggressively as at UFC 298 — was visible and effective for two rounds.
Round three ended it at 3:56. Volkanovski pressed forward at 3:00, looking for a clean combination; Topuria timed a counter right hook that dropped him against the cage. Topuria pressed with follow-up ground strikes; referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight at 3:56. Ilia Topuria retained the featherweight title, 2-0 in the series.
The final Topuria-Volkanovski series: 2-0 Topuria (KO R2 at UFC 298, KO R3 at UFC 308). Volkanovski's career record ended its title-fight run at 0-3 across his most recent three fights (Makhachev KO at UFC 294, Topuria KO at UFC 298, Topuria KO at UFC 308). His featherweight legacy — six defenses, 1,876 days as champion — remains intact despite the KO trilogy ending.
Co-Main Event: Chimaev vs. Whittaker
Khamzat Chimaev dominated three rounds via wrestling and ground-and-pound. Robert Whittaker — fighting at middleweight after his TKO loss to Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 294 — could not match Chimaev's physicality. Chimaev scored multiple takedowns per round, controlling top position consistently. Final scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Chimaev's unbeaten record extended to 14-0; the win positioned him as the top middleweight contender.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Ilia Topuria (c) def. Alexander Volkanovski — KO (punches) — R3, 3:56 — Featherweight Title
Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Middleweight
Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R3, 4:10 — Welterweight
Ikram Aliskerov def. Michel Pereira — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Middleweight
Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic — TKO (punches) — R3 — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Charles Oliveira vs. Ilia Topuria — (correction: Oliveira vs. opponent TBD)
Said Nurmagomedov def. Javid Basharat — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Bantamweight
Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael Alves — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Lightweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria — $50,000 for the third-round KO of Alexander Volkanovski in his first featherweight title defense.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Shavkat Rakhmonov — $50,000 for the third-round rear-naked choke submission of Ian Machado Garry.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Magomed Ankalaev — $50,000 for the third-round TKO of Aleksandar Rakic — a win that set up his subsequent UFC light heavyweight title shot at UFC 313.
Records & Milestones
• Topuria-Volkanovski series concluded 2-0 Topuria — KO R2 (UFC 298) and KO R3 (UFC 308).
• Khamzat Chimaev extended his MMA record to 14-0 — the most feared unbeaten fighter in the 170-185 lb range.
• Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Ian Machado Garry — the submission of the undefeated Irish welterweight confirmed Rakhmonov's top-two welterweight status.
• Magomed Ankalaev def. Rakic — the win that set up Ankalaev's successful light heavyweight title shot against Pereira at UFC 313.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 308 is remembered as the definitive close of the Topuria-Volkanovski rivalry and the formal end of Volkanovski's title-chasing career. The 2-0 series — both finishes by KO — confirmed Topuria as the new featherweight era champion without any asterisk. Volkanovski's three consecutive losses in his final three fights (Makhachev UFC 294, Topuria UFC 298, Topuria UFC 308) closed one of the most dominant featherweight championship runs in promotion history with a steep competitive decline.
For Ilia Topuria, the Volkanovski series launched his status as one of the UFC's emerging elite-level champions. His stated next ambition was a lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev — the most anticipated potential champ-vs-champ fight of the mid-2020s. As of mid-2025, that fight has not been confirmed.
For Khamzat Chimaev, the Whittaker win confirmed his middleweight dominance at 14-0 and set up his 2025 title shot. For Shavkat Rakhmonov, the Garry submission positioned him as the welterweight title shot challenger against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December 2024 (majority draw — Muhammad retained).
FAQ
Did Volkanovski make adjustments for the rematch?
Yes — and they were visible for two rounds. Volkanovski's game plan at UFC 308 was more cautious than at UFC 298; he stayed on the outside and used his jab to control distance rather than walking into Topuria's counter range. Rounds one and two were his most competitive of the two-fight series. Round three broke down when he pressed forward at 3:00 — and ran into the same counter right hook that had ended round two of UFC 298. The adjustment was correct; the execution in the critical moment was not.
How does UFC 308 compare to UFC 307?
UFC 308 drew approximately 500,000 PPV buys versus UFC 307 (600,000) three weeks earlier — a 100,000-buy drop reflecting the Abu Dhabi time zone's lower North American PPV penetration. The card's depth — Chimaev vs. Whittaker, Rakhmonov vs. Garry, Ankalaev vs. Rakic — made it one of the strongest undercards of 2024.
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