Ilia Topuria beat Max Holloway to retain the UFC featherweight title at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi with the American suffering the first knockout defeat of his career.
Topuria (16-0) fired in a right hand which dazed Holloway before following up with a powerful left hook that dropped the 32-year-old in the third round.
Topuria pounced on Holloway immediately for a ground-and-pound finish before referee Mark Goddard stopped the bout at the 1:34 mark of the third round.
“To beat a legend like Max Holloway, I don’t know what to say,” Topuria said.
“He’s been a great example for the generation. I hope I’m going to be a small example he has been for me for the new generation.”
Topuria said he knew immediately with his initial power punch that the victory was within his grasp.
“I caught him with the right hand, I felt it,” Topuria said. “I saw it in his face. You don’t see that often in Max Holloway.”
During the first round, Topuria did some early damage with leg kicks to Holloway’s lead leg.
Both fighters’ boxing skills were on display in the second round, with Holloway landing several big shots but it was Topuria’s leg kicks that seemingly continued to weaken Holloway.
Then came his two big punches in the third.
“He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt much more than I thought it did,” said Holloway, who fell to 26-8.
“I felt great until he did it. No excuses. I felt great, I had a great camp, no injuries. I went out there, did my thing. He was just a better man.”
It was Topuria’s first title defence since capturing the belt with a second-round technical knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February earlier this year.
Topuria’s back-to-back victories over Holloway and Volkanovski make a case for him to be named fighter of the year.
Volkanovski was in attendance and Topuria said he would honour him with a rematch.
“You deserve that, you’re the man,” Topuria told Volkanovski.
In the co-main event, No 13 Khamzat Chimaev (14-0) stopped No 3 Robert Whitaker (27-8) with a first-round submission just 3:34 into the fight, after taking him down and administering a wicked face crank.
“I’m going for the belt!” Chimaev said after his dominating win.
“I love you brother, you’re a legend,” the Russian told Whitaker during his post-fight interview.
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