UFC CEO Dana White has announced a stacked UFC 308 PPV card in Abu Dhabi, headlined by the highly anticipated featherweight title fight between undefeated champion Ilia Topuria and BMF champion Max Holloway. The card will also feature the long-awaited rematch between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker, which was previously scheduled but delayed because of Chimaev’s injury. However, a behind-the-scene change of plans has come to light.

Islam Makhachev’s injury forced him out of his highly anticipated fight against Arman Tsarukyan, necessitating changes to the UFC 308 and UFC 307 cards. As per an update by journalist Ariel Helwani, the unforeseen circumstance left the UFC 307’s main event slot—originally reserved for Holloway x Topuria—glaringly empty.

“Original main was supposed to be Islam x Arman but Islam is banged up so that’s now pushed back. This leaves a hole in the main event slot for 307 because Ilia x Max was being considered for that. Still TBD”, the tweet read. However, the Tsarukyan-Makhachev fight was already in jeopardy even before the latter’s injury announcement.

Tsarukyan had received a nine-month ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for punching a spectator during his walkout against Charles Oliveira, at the UFC 300. The incident even made White fearful of legal trouble. Nevertheless, the fan later apologized for provoking the fighter. “I’d like to apologize to Arman for provoking him by flipping him off. I was buzzing all day, and the moment got to me. It was my first time attending a live UFC event, and it was absolutely incredible. I’m glad the incident wasn’t as bad as it could have been,” he said.

It is believed that the October 5 event will now be headlined by Raquel Pennington defending her UFC women’s bantamweight title against former champion Juliana Pena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Former featherweight champion and Brazilian MMA icon Jose Aldo has also been roped in against Mario Bautista, who is fresh off a sixth straight win—he won his last fight against Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84 in January on a unanimous decision. On the other hand, Aldo retired in 2022 before coming back in May, marking a unanimous decision victory at UFC 301, against Jonathan Martinez. And Kayla Harrison and Ketlen Viera will headline the next fight.

However, even though it seems the UFC 307 is not as jeopardized as it seems, fans didn’t seem convinced as they let their displeasure be known.

Fans are certainly not pleased with UFC 307

The Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria fight, previously reported as a featherweight title fight by the MMA-oriented Twitter page @MMA_Matchmaker, has been officially confirmed by the French UFC broadcaster network. The card will also feature Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili.

However, before the UFC 308 card announcement, fans were eagerly anticipating a potential Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria match-up for UFC 306 or 307. However, when the promotion decided to move the thrilling bout to UFC 308, these hopes were dashed. One fan expressed disappointment, commenting, “I’m still wondering why the UFC made 308 better than 307.”

Another fan directed their frustration towards UFC CEO Dana White, who had yet to announce the UFC 307 card, scheduled for October 26th. They commented, “Dana announcing everything but the UFC 307 card. Already feel like that card is gonna be trash 😂.”

Dana White has been going through a lot lately. In June, his star Conor McGregor pulled out of UFC 303. Later, Khamzat Chimaev pulled out due to illness. The UFC 308 card in Abu Dhabi, originally headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan, was also disrupted. Makhachev suffered an injury, and Tsarukyan was banned by the NSAC for throwing punches at a fan for nine months

Fans didn’t stop there. Arguments escalated, with some claiming UFC 307 would be the worst card in UFC history due to the apparent lack of focus and interest compared to UFC 308. One comment read, “We just want UFC 308. UFC 307 has got to be the worst card in UFC history.” This discussion inevitably touched on the PPV price of UFC 307, which costs $79.99, unlike UFC 303, which is included in the subscription. Questions arose about whether this affected the PPV value of UFC 307. Another fan jokingly suggested, “There’s no way they’re making this the co-main for Max vs Ilia.”

Some fans voiced their disapproval of a potential Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria main event for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, with one comment stating, “A snoozefest btw. Praying this isn’t the main event 😭.” Meanwhile, others expressed disappointment with the lack of a high-profile headliner for UFC 307, with one frustrated fan commenting, “307 bout to get sh*t on.”

It’s clear that the UFC’s decision to prioritize UFC 308 has sparked debate among fans. While UFC 308 boasts an impressive lineup, the potential neglect of UFC 307 raises concerns about the overall fight card quality and whether this strategy might negatively impact the event’s success. Ultimately, only time will tell if Dana White’s focus on UFC 308 will pay off or if it will come at the expense of UFC 307.