Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway – UFC 308 LIVE: Score card, round-by-round updates as Topuria looks to defend his featherweight title for the first time

Not only did Myktybek Orolbai suffer his first UFC defeat this evening, but he was also left with a nasty facial hematoma for his troubles.

The Kyrgyzstani lightweight took on Mateusz Rebecki in what proved to be an instant classic over three hard-fought rounds in tonight’s preliminary portion.

However, the battle scars of 15 minutes of back-and-forth action have certainly left their mark as he suffered major swelling under his right eye.

However, while he didn’t get his hand raised, the 26-year-old has certainly put himself in contention for a post-fight bonus this evening.

If the preliminary card was anything to go by, tonight could be truly special.

We’ve already seen several finishes throughout the night at the Etihad Arena but none quite as peculiar as when former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos’ faced Geoff Neal.

The clash ultimately lasted less than two minutes before a freak injury saw the fight over before it really began.

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And welcome to Mail Sport’s coverage of tonight’s UFC 308 card from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

We have an excellent main card in store, headlined by a pair of must-see matchups.

In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev faces the toughest test on his seemingly unstoppable rise to UFC gold as he takes on former middleweight champion and perennial contender Robert Whittaker.

Then, in our main event Ilia Topuria will look to make the first defence of his featherweight title since KO’ing long-reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski to secure the belt back in February.

Standing in his way will be the man widely regarded as one of the best 145lb fighters the sport has ever seen, Max Holloway.

So stick right here as myself, and Charlotte Daly provide all the news and updates for what promises to be one of the most exciting events of the year.