Stacked UFC pay-per-views just hit differently these days. With the sport at an era where the UFC simply commits to annual location obligations, UFC 308 is 2024’s big Abu Dhabi showcase Saturday, featuring one of the greatest matchups imaginable. New featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defends his title for the first time against former king Max Holloway.

MMA’s favorite “Blessed” Hawaiian has been off doing side quests since he last held 145-pound gold in late 2019. If looking unstoppable against his fellow contenders wasn’t enough, Holloway returned to lightweight to challenge for BMF platinum against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. The stunningly near-perfect performance resulted in an incredible upset in the literal final second with a knockout that will stand the test of time.

Somehow, Holloway may be better than ever, making him an incredible challenge for his undefeated and impossibly confident opponent in the 15-0 champion Topuria.

Topuria isn’t the only supremely confident undefeated dominator competing on Saturday. The story is similar in the five-round middleweight co-main event, as 13-0 wrestling machine Khamzat Chimaev returns in what’s expected to be his toughest challenge yet. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker looks to live up to his “Reaper” moniker and spoil Chimaev’s big night.

Who would really complain if this was a two-fight card? But there’s plenty more to be excited about. Let’s make our picks, ladies and gentlemen.

Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM.

145 lbs.: (C) Ilia Topuria (-250) vs. Max Holloway (+190)

The perfect matchup does exist.

In Topuria vs. Holloway, two very different types of elite fighters collide. Some could consider it the new guard vs. the old guard of featherweight’s past and present. The only problem with labeling the fight as such is Holloway’s refusal to slow down and decline.

The former champion-turned-challenger has turned over a new leaf and remained unstoppable outside of title tilts. Even then, his only kryptonite has been one person, the champion Topuria dethroned, Alexander Volkanovski.

Holloway, 32, has touted himself as the best boxer in the UFC and his belief in that skill-set famously showcased itself mid-fight against Calvin Kattar in 2021. As strong as Holloway’s boxing is, the surgical volume puncher has continued to improve his timing with kicks. “Blessed” showed off an impressive new wrinkle, timing spinning back kicks to the body — and one clean to the nose — of Gaethje his last time out. This tactic brilliantly exploited Gaethje’s tendency to duck defensively when under fire. Wrestling-wise, Holloway primarily uses it to void his opponents’ offense if they attempt to take him down.

Despite his willingness to brawl and deliver some of the most chaotic moments in MMA history, Holloway is a calculated killer with an unfathomably durable chin. Those exchanges are often ill-advised anyway, as he’s won every time. In his 33-fight career, the Hawaiian has only been knocked down once, and Topuria promises to be the first to finish him with strikes.

Topuria excels in equal areas to Holloway. The champion should be able to negate any physical disadvantages like height with his underrated grappling chops and unwavering confidence. However, Holloway often lowers his stance to meet his opponent and find a different read. “El Matador’s” confidence has set him apart from others in recent memory, leading him to have the highest potential for global superstar status. No one can replicate Conor McGregor, but getting close means backing up these ludicrous on-paper claims. Only twice has the Georgian gone to the judges’ scorecards (eight submissions, five knockouts).

Competition levels and experience strongly favor Holloway in this matchup. Then there’s good old MMA math, edging things to Topuria with his Volkanovski finish to claim the strap. Ultimately, the biggest factor is Holloway’s lack of defense. He’s legendarily durable, but that’s the problem: He gets hit. Unfortunately, all great chins crack eventually in this unforgiving sport.

The champion will bob and weave his way past Holloway’s fantastic jab, taking some to give some before he delivers his highly explosive punch combinations. Rip the body then go high with hooks to his opponent pressed against the cage. Topuria has been the truth so far, and he’ll keep proving that when his words ring true. Topuria becomes the first to finish Holloway with strikes in a riveting duel for as long as it lasts.

Do. Not. Miss. It.

Pick: Topuria

185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker (+200) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-250)

Chimaev’s moment of truth has arrived.

Once the prospect to end all prospects, Chimaev was riddled with illness after illness following his battle with COVID-19 in late 2020. Rocket-strapped only teases the level of superstar Chimaev was on his way to reaching. He’s still a big deal now, but what he was expected to be — a future champion — has been delayed by repeated unfortunate circumstances outside the octagon.

There’s no secret to “Borz’s” game plan. He’s one of the most dominant wrestlers in MMA, stifling his opposition so thoroughly that they rarely hit him. If able to survive that diamond-crushing pressure, that’s where fighters have found success against Chimaev. See welterweight staples Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns as the best examples in two of Chimaev’s last three bouts.

The former champion Whittaker has long been one of the most battle-tested and proficient strikers at middleweight since he arrived in November 2014. Whittaker, 33, is like Holloway, where he wrestles defensively when needed and has limitless cardio, which is arguably the biggest X-factor in this five-round affair.

It’s cut and dry here. Whittaker will get taken down. He will get beaten up in Round 1 and put in bad positions. He just has to survive that round along with maybe the second, and he’ll comfortably take over, chipping away at Chimaev until he crumbles. This fight has all the makings to look borderline identical to Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 1, when “The Reaper” claimed interim gold in 2017. The difference is Whittaker will be presented with more dangerous threats than Romero gave him, whether positionally or with ground and pound. Overall, Whittaker has an 82% takedown defense against the very best the division has had to offer. The only person who took him down multiple times was the Olympic silver medalist Romero.

This is Chimaev’s first ranked middleweight challenge and he’s getting one of the all-time greats who is still as elite as it gets. Whittaker survives and weathers the storm en route to fully stopping any momentum Chimaev has left in 2024.

Pick: Whittaker

145 lbs.: Lerone Murphy (-300) vs. Dan Ige (+240)

Lerone Murphy sold me a ticket on his potential as a featherweight contender in his first UFC main event against the ageless Edson Barboza.

Murphy vs. Barboza in May felt like another possible contender trap matchup like the one involving Sodiq Yusuff, who previously fell before the Brazilian veteran. But the 33-year-old Murphy brought Barboza the exact recipe to defeat him: A high-volume, pressure-striker style that mixed in the clinch when necessary. Murphy didn’t let the lethal kickboxing sensation breathe for five rounds and proved he was here to stay.

Dan Ige provides another veteran challenge for Murphy. There may not be a competitor as game as the Hawaiian after his four-hour entry into his Diego Lopes matchup at UFC 303 this past June. There’s a reason he’s called “50K,” as he packs a wallop in his fists. However, the jury feels out on Ige at this point, and Murphy does virtually everything Ige does but better.

Ige, 33, can disrupt Murphy’s striking flow with wrestling threats but that will be easier said than done on the well-versed unbeaten Brit. Murphy should outpoint his way to a decision over Ige, landing the more impactful and damaging shots over three rounds and controlling any grappling exchanges if the fight goes there.

Pick: Murphy

205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev (-400) vs. Aleksandar Rakić (+300)

Will UFC 308 finally be the night Magomed Ankalaev solidifies himself once again as a title challenger?

The Russian light heavyweight contender hasn’t caught a break since his bid for the vacant title opposite former champion Jan Blachowicz in December 2022. For some reason, Dana White absolutely loathed the clash despite Ankalaev showing world-class heart by adapting mid-fight to Blachowicz’s crippling leg kicks and, in my opinion, Ankalaev should have won the fight. Unfortunately for Ankalaev, the judges declared it a split draw that kept the divisional crown vacant. Perhaps that’s what upset White more than anything as he immediately booked Jamahal Hill vs. Glover Teixeira that same night.

Ankalaev, 32, has since fought Johnny Walker twice, finishing him with strikes the second time after an illegal first-round knee resulted in a no contest. Unbeaten in 12 fights and passed over in title fights arguably five times, Ankalaev has had a tough time.

Don’t get it twisted, though. Ankalaev still has a claim as the best and most talented 205-pound fighter on Earth. A combat sambo specialist, Ankalaev is at his best when he takes his opponents down and pummels away. Horrifically for his opponents, he’s improved so much in the striking department that we haven’t seen him fight to his biggest strength lately. That’s unless he needs to like he did against Blachowicz.

A fight with Aleksandar Rakić, who is coming off a knockout loss, is as illogical as any for a No. 1 contender. Despite that, Rakić looked incredible in his return from a torn ACL when he fought the former champion Jiri Prochazka at UFC 300 this past April. Rakic even revealed on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” this week that he was ill in the bout.

Rakić, 32, was sharp, fast and dangerous with punches and kicks in Round 1 of the Prochazka scrap. Unfortunately for him, Prochazka is just a zombie to deal with — unless you’re Alex Pereira — and Prochazka overwhelmed the Austrian as he faded in their war in Round 2.

A healthy Rakić building off that last performance has a strong possibility to play spoiler in yet another trap type of matchup. But ultimately, Ankalaev is simply too good in every aspect of the game. I only see him losing in an attempt to be overly exciting trying to secure that ever-elusive second title shot. Even if he gets into wild exchanges, his chin should hold and Rakić will get slept first or submitted after a surprise takedown.

Pick: Ankalaev

185 lbs.: Sharaputdin Magomedov (-175) vs. Armen Petrosyan (+145)

Sharaputdin Magomedov has slowly become somewhat of a Chimaev-lite with his prospect acclaim.

The undefeated 13-0 Magomedov debuted in October 2023 and has already fought thrice in the Octagon. The pace isn’t the same speed as newcomer Chimaev’s, but he’s kept busy and climbed nicely, displaying his flashy striking rather than a dominant ground game.

“Shara Bullet” has a serviceable ground game. Nothing more, nothing less. That will be his downfall in this matchup, in particular.

This fight reminds me exactly of Armen Petrosyan’s last win, a unanimous decision over the stellar striker Christian Leroy Duncan. Petrosyan is a gritty and durable striker, which makes him almost the antithesis of Magomedov. In defeat, Petrosyan’s been stifled by superior grapplers, taken down and controlled by aces like Rodolfo Vieira and Caio Borralho. That just won’t be coming his way from Magomedov.

Petrosyan is a healthy dog here and will get the boo birds singing to kick off the main card when he grinds out a decision win.

Pick: Petrosyan

Preliminary notes

There’s a lot to like in UFC 308’s prelims. The best of these main-card appetizers is the return of Myktybek Orolbai against Mateusz Rebecki. Orolbai has surprisingly held steam in the eyes of the oddsmakers after a slight hype cooldown his last time out, and Rebecki is always game.

We’ll find out how much former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has left in the tank in a welterweight clash with “Hands of Steel” Geoff Neal. Meanwhile, Ismail Naurdiev returns to the UFC after glimmers of potential in his first stint in 2019-20.

And yeah, you’re reading that right. I’m riding with the biggest underdog on the card, “Huggy Bear” Chris Barnett. Sorry, Kennedy Nzechekwu. It’s nothing personal.

Quick Picks:

Geoff Neal (-300) def. Rafael dos Anjos (+240)

Mateusz Rębecki (+240) def. Myktybek Orolbai (-300)

Abusupiyan Magomedov (-145) def. Brunno Ferreira (+120)

Farid Basharat (-650) def. Victor Hugo (+475)

Ismail Naurdiev (-175) def. Bruno Silva (+145)

Ibo Aslan (-105) def. Raffael Cerqueira (-125)

Chris Barnett (+500) def. Kennedy Nzechukwu (-700)

Rinat Fakhretdinov (-225) def. Carlos Leal (+185)