Ilia Topuria has vowed to be the first man to knock out Max Holloway, but a simulation of the fight suggests otherwise.

The pair meet in the main event of UFC 308 this Saturday with the featherweight title on the line in Abu Dhabi.

Topuria is ready to defend his UFC featherweight title against HollowayGetty

Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February to win championship gold for the first time.

He made his UFC debut in October 2020 and has finished five of his seven octagon bouts.

The Spaniard has said in the buildup to his highly-anticipated clash that he will be the first man to ever knockout Holloway, who has never been finished in his UFC career.

Holloway, meanwhile, is a former featherweight champion and hasn’t been in a UFC title fight in more than two years.

The 32-year-old last challenged for a UFC belt in a trilogy of fights against Volkanovski, but lost all three by decision after five rounds.

‘Blessed’ knocked out Justin Gaethje with one second left on the clock at UFC 300 to earn a title shot once again.

Topuria’s prediction has been put into practice with the pair matched up on the UFC 5 video game in a simulation of the clash.

The fight began in the opening round at a high tempo – as Topuria also promised – with the Spaniard looking to close the gap and advance forward, stinging Holloway with some jabs early on.

The featherweight champion has offered Holloway to stand in bang in the opening seconds of their title fight in Abu Dhabi, so we can expect to see something similar on Saturday.

Boxing Fight SimulationsTopuira has backed himself to KO Holloway, but not on UFC 5[/caption]

It was a fast-paced five minutes on the simulation with both men trading blows and the champion having a brief spell of success on the floor.

With Holloway seemingly getting the better of Topuria on the ground, catching him with several uppercuts, the Spaniard took him to the floor once again.

However, ‘Blessed’ was able to reverse the takedown and get back up to his feet. With 50 seconds left on the clock left in the first round, Holloway caught his opponent with a devastating left uppercut that sent Topuria crashing into the cage.

The champion was able to recover from the knock down and proceed into the next round.

Holloway came out the fresher of the two in the second round, attempting to catch Topuria with a variety of strikes and kicks, just like we have seen so often throughout his incredible UFC career.

The American was able to stuff Topuria’s first takedown attempt in the next round, but was forced onto the backfoot as time ticked on.

Then, with 20 seconds left on the clock, referee Herb Dean stopped the fight and called in the UFC doctor who checked on a cut right on the bridge of Holloway’s nose.

Holloway set up a perfect overhand rightBoxing Fight Simulations

That caught Topuria in the third roundBoxing Fight Simulations

And instantly knocked him outBoxing Fight Simulations

Both men looked well-beaten at the end of the boutBoxing Fight Simulations

And Holloway was crowned the new featherweight championBoxing Fight Simulations

Luckily for the challenger, he was given the all clear and bout continued, but with Holloway now cautious not to expose his damage any further.

Topuria came out flying in the third round, attempting to finish his opponent, but was caught with an overhand left, which would be a sign of things to come.

The Spaniard then gained control of Holloway on the floor, landing big shots in the ground and pound, which could’ve arguably won him the round.

With just over 10 seconds left, before we entered the championship round, both men looked beaten and bloodied up.

Just as Topuria stepped in with a right jab to the body, Holloway reacted with a vicious overhand right that knocked his opponent out cold.

It looked as if the pair had just been through war when UFC President Dana White crowned Holloway the brand-new UFC featherweight champion once again.

It is unlikely the showdown would play out in such favour of Holloway dominance, but it is clear that Topuria was on the back foot according to that simulation.

The American will be of course optimistic that he can pull off an upset at UFC 308 and become a two-time featherweight champion against the odds.