Ibo Aslan vs Raffael Cerqueira at UFC 308 | Preview & Prediction
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We have a light heavyweight clash to get proceedings underway and it promises to be a lively one as knockout specialists Ibo Aslan and Raffael Cerqueira meet in the Octagon
IBO ASLAN VS RAFFAEL CERQUEIRA FACTS
When is UFC 308? UK – the preliminary card starts at 3:00pm on Saturday October 26th, 2024, followed by the main card at 7:00pm / USA – 10:00am/2:00pm ET and 7:00am/11:00am PT
Where is UFC 308? Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Where can I get tickets for UFC 308? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 308
What TV channel is UFC 308 on? UK – TNT Sports Box Office / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 308? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC 308 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Ibo Aslan and Raffael Cerqueira expected to walk out? 3.10pm UK / 10.10am US ET / 7.10am US PT / 5.10pm local
UFC 308 MAIN CARD EVENT
Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway (Featherweight)
Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev (Middleweight)
Lerone Murphy vs Dan Ige (Featherweight)
Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic (Light Heavyweight)
Sharabutdin Magomedov vs Armen Petrosyan (Middleweight)
UFC 308 Prelims
Geoff Neal vs Rafael dos Anjos (Welterweight)
Mateusz Rebecki vs Myktybek Orolbai (Lightweight)
Said Nurmagomedov vs Daniel Santos (Bantamweight)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Chris Barnett (Heavyweight)
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs Carlos Leal (Welterweight)
Abusupiyan Magomedov vs Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs Victor Hugo (Bantamweight)
Ismail Naurdiev vs Bruno Silva (Middleweight)
Ibo Aslan vs Raffael Cerqueira (Light Heavyweight)
IBO ASLAN: CONTENDER GRAD ON FIVE-FIGHT WIN STREAK
Ibo Aslan (13-1) comes into this fight with a five-fight win streak and the Turkish light heavyweight will be keen to put on a show. All 13 of his wins have come via knockout and after getting the call to fight on this massive card, he will be looking for number 14 here. Aslan came through Dan White’s Contender Series to earn his shot in the promotion and he duly delivered on his UFC debut as he knocked out Anton Turkalj at UFC on ESPN 54 in March. He may be on the prelims but he and Cerqueira have been handed a prime spot to open the event with fireworks all but guaranteed.
RAFFAEL CERQUEIRA: UFC NEWCOMER PUTS 100% WIN RECORD ON THE LINE
After building an impressive record of 11 successive wins since launching his professional MMA career, Raffael Cerqueira now gets a shot in the big time of the UFC. After fighting in his native Brazil and dominating allcomers at light heavyweight, he now gets to test himself against the best in the world and it will be interesting to see how he measures up. Cerqueira possesses equally scary knockout power like Aslan but is also capable of taking the fight to the ground and that may be his preferred route to victory here.
IBO ASLAN VS RAFFAEL CERQUEIRA PREDICTION
As is so often the case in the UFC, the matchmakers have pulled together a potential slugfest to kick off an event and this fight is no different. Aslan and Cerqueira have combined for 21 knockouts across their 24 fights overall and it very much has the feel for he who lands flush first, could very well win.
Cerqueira does have a ground game and if he fights cleverly, he may well look to that route as his best chance of dominating this fight. Whether that materialises remains to be seen.
This is a golden opportunity for both fighters and we expect both to throw caution to the wind. We like Cerqueira’s greater skillset but our pick is that this one does not go the distance.
PREDICTION: FIGHT TO NOT GO THE DISTANCE
