Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway – UFC 308 LIVE: Score card, round-by-round updates as Lerone Murphy extends unbeaten run while Conor McGregor lays $500,000 bet ahead of featherweight title fight

Crafty attempt at an upwards elbow from Ankalaev to start round two but Rakic is wise to it and manages to get out of the way.

Ankalaev is starting to find a home for his southpaw straight left hand which could spell disaster for Rakic unless his is able to swing the momentum back in his favour.

The leg kicks are still there for the most part for Rakic but it appears Ankalaev’s striking has given him something to think about when he enters.

Mail Sport scorecard: Magomed Ankalaev 10 (19)-(19) 9 Aleksandar Rakic

Rakic is setting the pace early here as he uses leg kicks to maintain distance and remains firmly on the back foot.

He looks for a huge head kick reminiscent of the one he KO’d Jimi Manuwa with many moons ago but Ankalaev is wise to it and gets his forearm up to block.

Ankalaev is marching forward but Rakic is rarely presenting a stationary target here in the first and has done enough to edge the round in our book.

Mail Sport scorecard: Magomed Ankalaev 9-10 Aleksandar Rakic

All roads lead to Alex Pereira.

The Brazilian has quickly became one of the biggest superstars in the UFC, and this clash will likely determine who Poatan fights next.

But it could have been so different.

Back in 2022 Ankalaev came agonisingly close to winning UFC gold when he faced Jan Blachowicz before the fight was ruled a draw that led to an enraged Dana White booking Jamahal Hill vs Glover Texeira for the vacant belt.

Meanwhile Rakic has lost his last two fights at 205lbs, but has proven to be a handful for some of the best fighters in the division and will be looking to spoil the party tonight.

With a belt that he once held set to be defended in tonight’s main event, Conor McGrgeor has a vested interest in the action at UFC 308.

But that’s not the only reason the Irishman will be keeping a keen eye on how events transpire at UFC 308.

McGregor has bet $500k on both Max Holloway and Robert Whittaker pulling off KO wins this evening.

If they both pull off the upset? McGregor reportedly stands to bank $17million.

Lerone Murphy gets the nod on the judges scorecards with all three ruling in favour of the British fighter.

Ige is a huge name for his resume and Murphy is still undefeated, but at 33-years-old he needs to start making a run for the belt.

Murphy calls out former title challenger Josh Emmett in his post-fight interview.

That will do it…

Murphy certainly appears to be the fresher of the two fighters as we enter the final round.

However, Ige secures an early takedown after a fascinating scramble seews both fighters trade dominant positions on the canvas.

Ige attempts a knee as they return to the feet but Murphy counters with a flurry in the closing seconds.

This one really could go either way.

Mail Sport scorecard: Lerone Murphy 10 (29)-(28) 9 Dan Ige

Murphy has recovered well from being dropped late in the first round but he needs to be cautious of the power of Ige as he wades forward.

The Brit proves oft-repeated assumptions about UK wrestling are untrue as he defends a shot before reversing Ige against the cage before returning back to his preferred distance in the striking range.

Again Murphy gets his opponent against the cage and this time he secures the takedown and begins hunting for a submission.

Ige does well to reverse position but it’s not enough to swing him the round and it looks like it’s all going to come down to the final five minutes.

Mail Sport scorecard: Lerone Murphy 19 (9)-(10) 19 Dan Ige

Ige takes the centre of the Octagon from the opening bell and lands a striff right hand as Murphy retreats towards the cage.

A well-timed shot sees Ige take the fight to the mat but Murphy defends well on the ground and manages to return to his feet.

Murphy is growing in confidence as this round progrsses and lands a right hook into a spinning back kick to the body.

Ige has dropped him!!!

Murphy is able to get back up but Ige is really pushing for a finish here. Frantic end to the round as Murphy secures a takedown of his own as Ige hunts for a kimura.

Mail Sport scorecard: Lerone Murphy 9-10 Dan Ige

If there any doubts about Lerone Murphy’s ability to step up and compete with the best the featherweight divison has to offer, his comprehensive victory over Edson Barboza should have put them to bed.

The 33-year-old from Manchester has never tasted defeat in his MMA career but he faces a huge test if he is to walk away with his perfect record intact this evening.

Dan Ige is the epitomy of toughness and has been in the Octagon with a host of notable names at 145lbs.

Earlier this year he stepped in on less than 24 hours notice to face surging contender Diego Lopes in a losing effort, but remains ranked inside the top 15.

We’ve already seen Sergio Ramos play his part in tonight’s main event, accompanying fellow Spaniard Ilia Topuria during yesterday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

But the former Real Madrid star isn’t the only illustrious defender to get involved in one of the biggest fights of the year.

Al-Nassr defender Aymeric Laporte has been pictured making his way to his seat as tonight’s marquee matchups draw ever closer.

We mentioned pre-fight that Magomedov’s biggest attribute is the unorthdox striking style that he employs and you really couldn’t get a better demonstration than that finish.

The undefeated Russian first landed a spinning backfist before rotating the other way to land another backfist that ultimately ended the fight.

In 15 years of following MMA I have never seen anything quite like that…

Magomedov proclaims himself the best striker in the division in his post-fight interview and calls out Israel Adesanya.

On that evidence I can’t imagine there would be many people who wouldn’t want to watch those two throw down.

Viral star Hasbulla is in attendance to cheer on his compatriot as we prepare for the second round.

Both fighters appear well aware of the skills their opponent posseses before we have a break in the action as a kick from Petrosyan lands low.

Magomedov appears to have the speed advantage at striking range but Petrosyan is finding his way inside and landing straight punches.

We’re still yet to see the spinning attacks for which Magomedov is so vaunted as we reach the midway point of this three-round fight.

High kick from Magomedov lands flush but again the momentum is slowed as this time Petrosyan is complaining that a kick went low.

Much better round for the underdog.

Just as I write that Magomedov lands a double spinning backfist that sends his opponent crashing to the canvas and the referee waves it off!

Petrosyan instantly looks to close the distance and attacks with leg kicks to stifle Magomedov’s unorthodox striking.

He steps in with a big right hand that has the Russian wobbling but Magomedov does well to regain his composure.

Huge response from Magomedov as he drives forward with a right hand but the accuracy of Petrosyan is causing him problems early here in round one.

Close opening round but Magomedov edges it with his activity.

Mail Sport scorecard: Shara Bullet Magomedov 10-9 Armen Petrosyan

Tonight’s main card opens with one of the most highly-rated prospects in the UFC’s middleweight division.

Shara Bullet Magomedov has made an instant name for himself at 185lbs with his unique style and undefeated record inside the Octagon.

There have been questions surrounding whether he has the grappling to compliment his striking, but if Armen Petrosyan’s Thai boxing walkout music is anything to go by, this one will be contested on the feet.

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.