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Mixed Martial Arts-Topuria KOs Holloway to maintain UFC featherweight title

Champion Ilia Topuria conquered early misfortune to score a thunderous thirdround knockout success over Hawaiian Max Holloway to maintain the UFC featherweight title at UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Topuria scored an early takedown but struggled to handle the range through the very first 2 frames of an intriguing title fight, but once he figured it out, the writing was on the wall for his opponent.

Holloway, who beat Jose Aldo to end up being undeniable featherweight champ in June 2017 but lost the belt in December 2019, used his excessive range of strikes to keep his Georgian-born opponent at bay, however Topuria's piston-like right-hand man was a hazard throughout.

That right-hand man was what started Holloway's demise, but it was a follow-up brief left that sent out Holloway crashing to the canvas and the Spain-based Topuria rapidly followed him to the ground, raining down blows before referee Marc Goddard jumped in to stop the battle.

With that right hand, I felt it. I simply saw it with him, in his face, he began making some steps back, and you don't see that typically with Max, Topuria said, commemorating his opponent as Holloway suffered the very first knockout loss of his UFC period.

I hope I'm going to be a small portion of the example he has actually been for me, for the new generation.

In the co-main occasion, undefeated Chechen Khamzat Chimaev put on another dominant grappling display screen before submitting previous champ Robert Whittaker in the preliminary of their middleweight bout to set himself up for a crack at the title.

Chimaev wasted no time taking the Australian down, utilizing his limpet-like fumbling to control Whittaker before taking his back and locking on to a face crank that appeared to dislocate his opponet's jaw, forcing a very quick tap with 1:26 left to enter the very first frame.

(source: Reuters)