Topuria makes first featherweight title defense against Holloway at UFC 308

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Topuria makes first featherweight title defense against Holloway at UFC 308

2024-10-25 18:00 Last Updated At：18:11

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria remains a fan of Max Holloway, crediting the Hawaiian for being an inspiration for his UFC career.

But the 27-year-old Topuria said he plans to put aside any positive feelings Saturday night when Holloway becomes his opponent at UFC 308.

“I have all the respect for him," Topuria said. "He’s a great fighter. He’s done many great things in the sport. You can’t take credit from him, so I have learned many, many things from him. He called me a fan. Yeah, I followed his career. I have been a fan. He’s been a great example for me, but now it’s my time to be that example for the new generation.”

Topuria (15-0), who was born in Germany to Georgian parents but lives in Spain, makes his first title defense. He is a -250 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Topuria captured the belt with a second-round technical knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim, California. Volkanovski had owned the title for four years, making five successful title defenses.

That is until Topuria established control from the beginning.

“I think he’s an animal,” Holloway said. "A lot of people forget that when he came into the UFC, he got right in as a grappler and wrestler. That’s what he was. He came into the UFC, started knocking dudes out. His boxing is nice as a fighter. You cannot be a hater and say he’s not good. He did what he had to do to get to the position he has, so there’s no disrespect to that.

“But you get to see me come Saturday night.”

Holloway (26-7) showed at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas that he is willing to take chances in what could be the fight of the year. He was comfortably ahead of Justin Gaethje for the ceremonial BMF title belt when Holloway pointed at the mat as the clocked ticked down, indicating he was willing to slug it out.

And that he did, sending Gaethje to the floor with a second left for a stunning finish.

Now Holloway, 32, gets his shot at the belt as the second-ranked challenger after winning four of his past five fights. His only loss was by unanimous decision to Volkanovski at UFC 276 in 2022 in Las Vegas.

He faces an opponent who has seen only two of his 15 fights go the distance.

“His cardio is outshining the opponent’s cardio because he’s hurting them early in their fights,” Holloway said. “The beautiful thing is I can't wait. It's going to be something special. Tune in Saturday night.”

Topuria said he was prepared to do whatever it takes, be it ending the fight quickly or going the full five rounds.

“I'm ready for 10 or 15 rounds," Topuria said. "Whatever he wants to do, I can do it. But I don't think that the fight will go the distance. I will finish him before that.”

In the co-main event, No. 3 challenger Robert Whittaker (27-7) of Australia will face No. 13 Khamzat Chimaev (13-0) of Russia in a middleweight bout.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Analysis: More star wide receivers could be on the move after Hopkins, Adams and Cooper

2024-10-25 18:00 Last Updated At：18:10

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.

DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams and Amari Cooper have already been traded.

Who’s next?

The NFL pushed the trade deadline back one week to Nov. 5 this year so teams have more time to determine whether they want to buy, sell, or stick with who they have.

Star wide receivers have been a hot commodity.

The Jets got things started by acquiring Adams last week, reuniting the three-time All-Pro with Aaron Rodgers in New York. They were rusty in their first game together since 2021. Adams caught just three passes on nine targets for 30 yards in a 37-15 loss to Pittsburgh.

Cooper went from woeful Cleveland to Buffalo and quickly fit in with Josh Allen. He had four catches for 66 yards and one touchdown in the Bills’ 34-10 win over Tennessee.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs jumped into the receiver sweepstakes this week and grabbed Hopkins from the Titans, giving Patrick Mahomes an accomplished playmaker to join Travis Kelce.

Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro, helps replace Rashee Rice, who is out for the season. The Chiefs also have been without Marquise “Hollywood” Brown since the start of the season and Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury.

“He’s a veteran player. You’ve seen just about everything over 12 years,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Hopkins. “He’s a good space player, so he’s very good at understanding how to work in space. At the same time, he’s a tough matchup because of his size, arm length — (he’s a) big body that knows how to kind of play that low-post area.”

Other high-profile players could be on the move before the deadline. Here are a few names to keep an eye on:

COOPER KUPP: A Super Bowl MVP when the Los Angeles Rams beat Cincinnati following the 2021 season, Kupp hasn’t stayed healthy. He’s missed 17 games over the past 2 1/2 seasons. The 31-year-old returned to the lineup on Thursday night and caught five passes for 51 yards and one TD in Los Angeles’ 30-20 win over Minnesota. The Rams (3-4) are in the mix in an up-for-grabs NFC West so they may not want to part with one of their best players.

TEE HIGGINS: Sticking with receivers here. The Bengals (3-4) could land a boatload of picks for Higgins, who is only 25 and playing this season on a franchise tag. With Ja’Marr Chase set to get a contract similar to Justin Jefferson’s money, Cincinnati could decide to move Higgins. The Bengals have been a notoriously frugal franchise so it’s a possibility even though the team should want to surround Joe Burrow with as much talent as possible.

MAXX CROSBY: Trading the three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher wouldn’t make the most sense for Las Vegas but Crosby said last week: “I’m not here to rebuild. I’m here to win. So I don’t know, whatever that means.” Crosby is only 27 and signed for two more years. A package for him would have to include multiple top draft picks, which could help the Raiders (2-5) in their quest to get a franchise quarterback.

BUDDA BAKER: The six-time Pro Bowl safety has spent his entire eight-year career in Arizona but he’s set to become a free agent after the season and the Cardinals (3-4) already chose not to give him a contract extension. Like the Rams, they’re just one game behind Seattle (4-3) in a division that’s more winnable now that the 49ers (3-4) are struggling. Still, Arizona isn’t going to be a Super Bowl contender and if Baker isn’t in the team’s future plans, getting draft picks for him makes sense.

MILES SANDERS: It’s hard to believe Sanders rushed for 1,269 yards and 11 TDs just two years ago in Philadelphia. After signing a big free-agent deal with Carolina, Sanders hasn’t been the same. He doesn’t have much help around him, either. Sanders ran for only 432 yards last season and averaged 3.3 yards per carry. He has 132 yards this year and his average is up to 4.0. The Panthers (1-6) are rebuilding and need all the draft picks they can get.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl