Yesterday, the fire ignited with the PFL ‘Battle of the Giants’ event, headlined by Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, in Riyadh. This momentum will now shift to another Middle Eastern city, Abu Dhabi, as the UFC 308 PPV approaches. The spotlight is firmly on the headline bout, where featherweight king Ilia Topuria will defend his title for the first time against BMF titleholder Max Holloway in a five-round battle.

The stakes for this fight are already high, with combat sports fans and analysts eagerly sharing their predictions. How can British sensation Tom Aspinall opt out of weighing in on the highly anticipated upcoming fight, considering he recently made remarks during his interview with TNT Sports.

Tom Aspinall’s Predictions for Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria

Tom Aspinall currently is looking forward to UFC 309, where he has been appointed as the backup for the highly anticipated headline event: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. This could be his last chance to face Jones if any mishap occurs with Miocic, a dream Aspinall has held since winning the interim heavyweight belt. While speaking with the TNT Sports host, Aspinall addressed a pressing topic in the fight world: how things will unfold at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi when a grappler faces a striker.

The TNT host asked, “Do you anticipate, with the grappling of Topuria, that he is going to revert to it at some point in the fight?” In response, Tom Aspinall expressed the possibility of a takedown, which led the host to ask whether it is hard to take down Max Holloway. Aspinall affirmed, “It is, really, but the threat’s there, and sometimes that can affect your defensive boxing a little bit because you’re thinking about the takedowns. With your hands low, you’re getting ready for a shot all the time, and punches are coming over the top.”

Aspinall then put the final nail in the debate by stating, “I think I’m going to go out there and say Ilia Topuria can put him down. He’s got the power, and he mixes it up so well between the disciplines. I wouldn’t be surprised if Max Holloway got dropped in this fight,” suggesting that Ilia Topuria could potentially finish ‘Blessed’ for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, a possibility recently reiterated by fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen predicts knockout finish in Holloway vs. Topuria fight

Just like Tom Aspinall, veteran Chael Sonnen also sees the headline event ending in a knockout. Sonnen, known for his outspoken nature and unfiltered thoughts, recently made a bold prediction about the UFC 308 card. He believes that for Topuria to successfully defend his title against Max Holloway, a clear knockout is essential—something no one has achieved in ‘Blessed’s’ 12-year UFC journey.

Sonnen claimed on his YouTube channel, “So what will happen if Topuria knocks out Max Holloway, which, by the way, I think is the only way he’s going to beat him? I think one of these guys has got to stop the other one because that heart and grit, that ‘I’m coming after you, I’m going to keep on trying to win,’ I don’t think that’s a switch that gets flipped off.”

As both fighters come off knockout victories—Ilia Topuria over Alexander Volkanovski for the title fight back in February, and Max Holloway putting Justin Gaethje to sleep in the historic UFC 300, which is considered one of the most jaw-dropping knockouts in mixed martial arts history—who will you be rooting for: ‘El Matador’ or ‘Blessed’? Drop your opinion below.