Ilia Topuria goes for his first featherweight title defense against former champion Max Holloway in the highly anticipated main event at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 10 a.m. on ESPN+).
Topuria, No. 3 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings, won the title with a shocking second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. Topuria is undefeated inside the Octagon and has finished four of his last five opponents. Holloway, the UFC's BMF champion, is ESPN's No. 3 ranked featherweight. He beat Justin Gaethje via fifth-round knockout to claim the BMF title.
In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev returns to competition after a year of inactivity to take on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Dre Waters spoke to ESPN analyst and former UFC women's featherweight Megan Anderson to get her perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets he likes on the card.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Featherweight title fight: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway
Megan Anderson, ESPN analyst and former UFC women's featherweight
How Topuria wins: Topuria's boxing and range control is great. He doesn't throw with high volume, but he's incredibly accurate. I don't see him knocking Holloway out, but I can see him hurting Holloway in this fight. If he can knock Holloway down, that's almost a guaranteed win of a round. Even if he can't put Holloway away, racking up damage and potentially scoring a knockdown could have a major impact on this fight if it goes the distance.
Topuria is a real triple threat. There are a lot of fighters who are one-dimensional. Topuria has excellent striking, grappling and wrestling. Topuria has to blend all of his skills, because he has to give Holloway different looks. When a fighter is one-dimensional, Holloway has excelled at taking advantage of the holes in their game. Just look at his fights with Gaethje and Calvin Kattar.
How Holloway wins: Holloway's fight IQ is so high. He's faced every style, every discipline and every size of fighter. Holloway has faced plenty of heavy hitters, but none have put him away. But what's most impressive about him is his ability to take his extreme pace and output to even higher levels as the fight continues. The way that Volkanovski beat him was through his ability to match his pace.
Holloway should try to overwhelm Topuria with his striking volume. We've never seen Topuria take on a fighter like that. Meanwhile, Holloway consistently drags fighters into deep waters because he knows he can sustain it. And when he does, how he uses his volume to create openings to make reads and adjustments is truly one of a kind.
X factor: There are two X factors here. How will Holloway's chin hold up to the power of Topuria, one of the most powerful strikers in the division? Second, can Topuria withstand the pace and output of Holloway?
Prediction: Holloway to win.
Betting analysis
Odds accurate as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET.
Parker: Topuria to win by KO/TKO (+170) or Holloway to win by decision (+400). This matchup has "fight of the night" written all over it. Topuria carries tremendous knockout power and can end a fight at any time. However, Holloway has never been knocked out or even dropped in his UFC career.
So, if Topuria can't knock out Holloway, how does he win? The other option would be to wrestle against Holloway, which is also a tough task. Holloway has tremendous takedown defense. I can't remember the last time he was taken down in a fight. I am taking the double method of victory, with Topuria winning by KO/TKO or Holloway to win by decision. If Topuria doesn't get Holloway out of there, I believe the fight favors Holloway as it goes on. His heavy striking output can get him the decision win.
Parker's best bets on the rest of the card
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev to win by KO/TKO (+150) or Whittaker to win by decision (+650). Chimaev returns to the Octagon hoping that a win here will secure his first title shot. If we get a fully healthy Chimaev, I'm not sure he will ever lose. He is that talented and that special of a fighter. However, if Whittaker can survive the first two rounds, where Chimaev puts on a menacing pace, can Whittaker tap into that championship round experience and win the later rounds? I think he can. The double method of victory seems to be a theme for this card. Taking Chimaev to win by knockout or Whittaker by points at even money seems like great value.
Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett
Over 1.5 rounds (+105). Nzechukwu has gone over the 1.5 rounds marker in five of his last six fights. We are getting some great value here. Barnett, a fan favorite, is not the easiest fighter to get out of there early. I expect Nzechukwu to use his range and avoid any chaos that Barnett looks to cause to help himself reach Nzechukwu's chin. With Nzechukwu coming off back-to-back losses, I believe he will be a very safe and patient fighter to get back on track.
Welterweight: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
Fakhretdinov to win. Leal, a former PFL fighter and LFA champ, steps in on short notice for his UFC debut. Beating Fakhretdinov is a tough task in a debut, but if you want to be in the UFC, sometimes this is the only option. Leal has power, but Fakhretdinov will be looking to make a statement. I believe he can get that done in dominant fashion against Leal.