5 questions that could be answered at UFC 308

This weekend sees the UFC visit Abu Dhabi for a major pay-per-view. Based on the card, there's a chance that this could be one of 2024's best events.

UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway features a featherweight title fight, as well as a likely No.1 contender's bout at middleweight, and plenty of other great clashes.

Naturally, there are plenty of talking points already going into this event, making it one that all fans cannot afford to miss.

With this in mind, here are five questions that could be answered at UFC 308: Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.

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#5 Can Lerone Murphy avoid being drawn into a firefight by Dan Ige?

One of the more curious fights this weekend will see UK-based featherweight contender Lerone Murphy put his unbeaten record on the line against Hawaiian brawler Dan Ige.

On paper, this should really be a mismatch of sorts. With a dominant win over Edson Barboza in his pocket, Murphy should be shooting for title contention. Ige, meanwhile, is an exciting fighter to watch, but realistically, he's little more than a gatekeeper.

However, '50k' does have one interesting string to his bow, and that's the ability to seemingly drag any fighter into a dirty brawl.

Ige doesn't always come out on top of such fights, but his punching power and granite chin mean that he can pull off the unexpected.

Murphy, on the other hand, for all of his technical striking ability, hasn't really been cracked cleanly during his UFC career just yet.

'The Iceman' has tended instead to stay on the outside and cut his foes up with clean combinations and chopping low kicks.

The big question here, then, is whether Ige can draw him into a firefight. If he does, can he catch the UK favorite and pull off one of what would be UFC 308's biggest upsets?

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#4 Will this weekend give us any indication where the ceiling is for Shara Magomedov?

UFC 308's main card is set to be opened by a battle of strikers, as the much-hyped Shara Magomedov takes on Armen Petrosyan.

The big question coming into this one, of course, is quite how high the ceiling is for 'Shara Bullet'.

At 14-0, he's clearly talented. However, it's safe to say that thus far at least, he hasn't been that heavily tested. 'Shara Bullet' edged past Bruno Silva and Michal Oleksiejczuk and dispatched the unheralded Antonio Trocoli via TKO.

Will this weekend's fight with Petrosyan give us any more of an indicator? To be honest, it's hard to say as 'Superman' is just as unproven as Magomedov.

Sure, he's shown himself to be a solid technical striker, and his ground game is clearly his weak point - an area in which Magomedov is unlikely to test him.

But if the Dagestani knocks Petrosyan out, or beats him via decision, will it shunt him up the ladder at all? Not exactly.

Basically, then, the only way this fight will give us an indicator of the ceiling for Magomedov is if he takes out Petrosyan quickly - or if he loses. Otherwise, we simply won't learn much at all.

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#3 Can Magomed Ankalaev ensure that he gets the next shot at Alex Pereira's light-heavyweight title?

One fighter who essentially cannot afford to lose at UFC 308 is Magomed Ankalaev. In fact, it's arguable that the Dagestani cannot even afford to win in anything but impressive fashion.

Ankalaev is riding the best unbeaten streak in the promotion at 205 pounds, having not suffered a defeat in 12 bouts since his octagon debut in 2018.

Realistically, he's already earned a shot at current light-heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.

The only problem is that despite scoring plenty of knockouts, including a recent fight with Johnny Walker, the UFC brass seem to view him as a dull fighter.

In all honesty, it's a reputation that Ankalaev doesn't deserve, but perhaps the memories of his dull draw with Jan Blachowicz are tough to shake off.

Right now, though, 'Poatan' is taking a break of sorts, meaning that this weekend's fight with Aleksandar Rakic is Ankalaev's chance to send a real message.

If he can dispatch 'The Rocket' violently, then there'll be no question that he should be next in line for the Brazilian kickboxer. Basically, if he wins and fails to call out Pereira, then he's making a big mistake.

Whether he can do it, given Rakic is underrated and tough to beat, is another thing. The pressure on Ankalaev, therefore, makes this fight an absolute must-see affair.

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#2 Can Khamzat Chimaev prove himself as an elite-level middleweight?

UFC 308's co-headliner features a fight that is likely to decide the next challenger for the middleweight title, as former champ Robert Whittaker takes on Khamzat Chimaev.

Assuming Chimaev makes the fight - which, given his history, is a fair question in itself - the big question is whether 'Borz' really is an elite-level 185 pounder.

We know that Whittaker is as elite as it gets. 'The Reaper' has only ever lost to current champ Dricus du Plessis and former champ Israel Adesanya at middleweight. He's coming off a violent knockout of Ikram Aliskerov, and also beat Paulo Costa this year too.

Chimaev, though, has only ever fought at 185 pounds once. Interestingly, his win came over Kamaru Usman, who had also never fought at the weight before.

Was 'Borz' an elite 170 pounder before his move? Judging by his wins over Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland and Li Jingliang, yes. But whether his bullying style will truly work against bigger foes, we just don't know.

It could well be that this fight is too much, too soon for the Chechen. Whittaker might be the trickiest possible fight for him in the entire UFC from a stylistic standpoint.

If he does lose, then it won't be a huge setback, even if his aura of invincibility will be cracked for good. At the end of the day, other monsters like Islam Makhachev and Francis Ngannou bounced back from losses to become champions.

If he wins, though, then it's almost certain that 'Borz' is the next middleweight champion. That's why this fight is not just one of the weekend's most intriguing, it's one of 2024's most intriguing, too.

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#1 Is Ilia Topuria really the UFC's top featherweight or was he just in the right place at the right time?

Probably the biggest question that could be answered at UFC 308 centers around current featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria.

'El Matador' is set for his first title defense this weekend when he faces former 145 pound kingpin and current 'BMF' champ Max Holloway.

'Blessed' is about as tested as it gets, with wins over Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez to name a few. The only fighter to defeat him at 145 pounds in recent years is Alexander Volkanovski.

Topuria, of course, knocked out 'The Great' to become champ earlier this year. However, whether the Georgian-Spanish fighter is truly the UFC's best featherweight is still a little debatable.

Sure, he sparked out Volkanovski in incredible fashion, but given that the Aussie had been knocked out badly by Islam Makhachev just four months prior, there's a school of thought to say Topuria was just in the right place at the right time.

To say such a thing might feel unfair, as 'El Matador' has never lost in 15 fights. When you consider his best win pre-Volkanovski would probably be Josh Emmett, though, it isn't unfair to describe him as less tested than Holloway.

If he gets past 'Blessed' unscathed this weekend, then there can be no question that he's the world's best 145 pounder. Until he does, though, there'll still be some nagging doubts.

Either way, we'll find out just where he stands this weekend.