It’s official: we have combat. The UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, will defend his belt for the first time against the legendary Max Holloway, in the main event of UFC 308, which will be held this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. After an intense ‘Fight Week’ in the United Arab Emirates, the most complicated moment for the fighters was yet to come: the battle against the scale. But Both fighters complied with total professionalism, giving the 145 pounds (65.8 kilograms) agreed upon for the fight to be confirmed.
Ilia Topuria (15-0) came out first to face the scale, the featherweight monarch getting up early, around 9:00 a.m. (7:00 a.m. in Spain), with a serious face but with energy and confidence. Topuria climbed onto the meter, located at the Hilton Hotel on Yas Island, while his entourage (coaches, friends and celebrities, including Omar Montes) supported the UFC champion. There were no problems, despite the hardness of facing all the commitments with the media and fans throughout the week of the fight. First battle won.
Immediately afterwards, Max Holloway appeared, visibly affected by the harshness of the weight cut, in which they lost more than 15 kilos since they began their training camp. There was no mishap either. The Hawaiian applicant gave the agreed 145 pounds and In this way it was confirmed that there will be a confrontation for the UFC featherweight title.
The one who was unlucky, although it was predictable, was Diego Lopes, who arrived in Abu Dhabi as a replacement fighter in case Topuria or Holloway had any mishap. In that case, he would have had the opportunity to fight for the belt in the main event, but that was not the case, and the Brazilian living in Mexico will receive his payment without stepping foot in the octagon at UFC 308.
Topuria comes into the fight to make his first title defense against a former champion, and a victory will ensure he establishes himself as a solid champion within the UFC ecosystem. If he achieved this, he would have defeated Volkanovski and Holloway in the same year, something that no one has been able to do so far.
