UFC CEO Dana White has a habit of surprising his fans with most of his announcements. The 55-year-old did the same with his latest video on X. White announced the highly anticipated UFC 308 fight card and guess what Ilia Topuria is back. The featherweight champion will take on the BMF title holder Max Holloway in the main event. White made the announcement from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card is loaded with some outstanding fighters and promises to be a blockbuster. So let’s find out what the rest of the card has in store for the fans.

The event also features Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division. Both fighters were scheduled to fight in June, but Chimaev pulled out because of an illness. Moreover, Ciryl Gane makes a return to the Octagon and will be taking on Alexander Volkov in the heavyweight division for the co-main event. The light heavyweight division will witness Magomed Ankalaev taking on Aleksandar Rakic.

The announcement of the card comes at a time when the fans had been waiting eagerly to witness Holloway in action. After a dominating performance at UFC 300, ‘Blessed’ seemed to be the favorite for the UFC 306 event in the Las Vegas Sphere. However, the 32-year-old was surprised after he was left out of the historic event. Holloway also took to his X account to share his disappointment. With the fight now announced for the UFC 308 event, both Topuria and Holloway will be desperate to return to action.

The event also marks the return of Khamzat Chimaev after failing to compete at the UFC Fight Night. ‘Borz’ suffered a serious illness which forced him out of his fight against ‘The Reaper’. While the UFC CEO did announce the fight for his return, he had different plans for the UFC 308 event.

Khamzat Chimaev was eyeing a title shot at UFC 308

A few months back, many fans believed that the 30-year-old would retire from the sport after facing a series of health issues. However, the Chechen fighter never considered retirement and was confident about his return. While he did make it clear that he was eyeing the UFC 308 event in Abu Dhabi for his return, ‘Borz’ had different plans.

The 30-year-old wanted a title shot, which came as a surprise to many. Chimaev was indeed one of the top contenders in the division but failed to turn up for fights on multiple occasions. During an interview, the 30-year-old said, “Most likely [my return will happen] in October in Abu Dhabi. The opponent is not yet known, but I would like to fight for the title.”

He then pointed out his dominance in the division and said, “I have seven fights, seven victories. There is no fighter in the UFC who has won seven fights without fighting for the belt.” However, it now seems that the 30-year-old will have to take the long route towards the title. Once labeled as the number one contender, Chimaev will first have to get past the challenge of Robert Whittaker.

‘The Reaper’ is one of the complete fighters in the division and is fresh off an impressive victory. The other fights are also a blockbuster and the fans will be desperately waiting for the event. Are you excited about the upcoming UFC 308 event in Abu Dhabi? Let us know in the comments below.