If you’re looking for UFC 308 predictions, keep reading this preview post as we’re going to analyze the biggest matchups of the October 26 event, dissect the betting odds, and share our top picks.
We’ll start by analyzing the headliner, in which defending UFC Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is fighting to retain his belt against Max Holloway.
Max Holloway to Snatch the Belt From Ilia Topuria
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ilia Topuria | -230 |
| Max Holloway | +195 |
Ilia Topuria (15-0) fights opponents with their own weapons. He beat Bryce Mitchell by submission, Alex Volkanovski by KO, and gave hell to brawler Josh Emmett, winning by decision after landing 152 significant strikes.
Will he go to striking war with Max Holloway (26-7)? If he does, he’s in trouble. Holloway is a hell of a striker, landing 7.17 significant strikes per 60 seconds. That’s the 10th-highest number in the UFC.
Despite being relatively young (32), he’s fought many icons of the sport, including Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira, Jose Aldo, and, most recently, Justin Gaethje, whom he KO-ed for the BMF title in April.
Meanwhile, Topuria has only fought against three Top 15 featherweights – Volkanovski, Emmett, and Mitchell.
Khamzat Chimaev to Get to 14-0 After the Robert Whittaker Fight
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Khamzat Chimaev | -210 |
| Robert Whittaker | +180 |
Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) is undefeated in pro MMA, amateur MMA, and submission grappling. He is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC and has good striking. The UFC 308 fight with Robert Whittaker (26-77) is going to be his toughest challenge so far, but at least he’s fighting practically on home turf.
He’s a Chechen fighter who’s residing in the United Arab Emirates, and who’s a member of Ramzan Kadyrov-owned Akhmat Fight Club, whose fighters tend to do very well in the UAE.
For example, no members of this team lost a fight in the last three UFC events at the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. In fact, all of them won apart from one – Magomed Ankalaev, whose fight ended in a (somewhat) controversial no contest. More of that in the next section of our UFC 308 prediction post.
Magomed Ankalaev to Make a Title Claim Against Aleksandar Rakic
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Magomed Ankalaev | -425 |
| Aleksandar Rakic | +325 |
Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1-1) is just a win away from getting a shot at the title. He’s No. 2 in the UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings, just behind Jiri Prochazka who has already lost twice to Alex Pereira in the battle for the title.
So, the logical next title challenger would be Ankalaev, but only if he beats Aleksandar Rakic (14-4). UFC 308 odds suggest that he will, which is no surprise given that he’s won 18 of his 21 fights.
The most recent of those was a KO win over Johnny Walker in their rematch after their first fight ended in no contest in Abu Dhabi.
Lerone Murphy and Dan Ige to Hurt One Another
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Lerone Murphy | -185 |
| Dan Ige | +146 |
Lerone Murphy (14-0-1) is an undefeated knockout master who’s fighting a well-rounded opponent at UFC 308. Dan Ige (18-8) is a very tough guy who’s never lost a fight inside the distance. Nor will he lose on October 26.
Our prediction is that this fight will go the distance, after which Murphy will probably win. We think that he will land way more significant strikes than his opponent, causing enough damage to make the judges score in his way.
Sharabutdin Magomedov to Outstrike Armen Petrosyan
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sharabutdin Magomedov | -180 |
| Armen Petrosyan | +155 |
He’s got only one working eye but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for “Shara Bullet” who’s 14-0 overall. He’s an incredible striker whose punches and kicks are both powerful and precise, which is why he’s won 11 fights by KO/TKO.
He tends to do very well against prolific strikers, the evidence being that in his last fight, he defeated Michal Oleksiejczuk by decision. Now, he’s fighting another striker, and we think he’ll do the same against Armen Petrosyan (9-3).
Said Nurmagomedov Set to Make the Daniel Santos Fight Look Easy
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Said Nurmagomedov | -250 |
| Daniel Santos | +210 |
Now that we’re done with our UFC 308 predictions for the main card fights, it’s time to focus on the prelims. The only preliminary fight we’re going to dissect in detail is Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos.
Nurmagomedov (18-3) is the third member of the Fight Club Akhmat who’s supposed to fight at UFC 308 on October 26. Despite being born in Dagestan and sharing the same last name as Khabib, he’s not related to the legendary fighter. However, he possesses a high set of wrestling skills that would make one think he’s a part of the famous Nurmagomedov clan.
He’s also a fine striker, although it’s been a while since he KO-ed someone. Maybe it will happen at UFC 308? We wouldn’t be surprised as his opponent Daniel Santos (12-2) is levels below him.
UFC 308 Predictions for Remaining Fights
- Geoff Neal (-290) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (+240) – Geoff Neal
- Mykytbek Orolbai (-255) vs. Mateusz Rabecki (+215) – Mykytbek Orolbai
- Abus Magomedov (-150) vs. Brunno Ferreira (+120) – Abus Magomedov
- Farid Basharat (-525) vs. Victor Hugo (+365) – Farid Basharat
- Ibo Aslan (-130) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (+100) – Ibo Aslan
- Rinat Fakhretdinov (-330) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (+248) – Nursulton Ruziboev
As you can see, we’re going heavy on UFC 308 favorites. The biggest favorite on the entire fight card is Farid Basharat with UFC 308 odds of -525 who’s bound to make Victor Hugo’s life “les misérable.”
When it comes to underdogs, we don’t think many will upset the odds, with Nursulton Ruziboev looking like the only one who could pull it off. He’s a 6’5 welterweight who’s a very good striker and who’s got plenty of experience having fought 47 times already.
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