UFC 308 is in the history books. A rare matinee of MMA from the sport’s top promotion saw a fantastic night of action from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, capped off by a third-round knockout (left hook followed by ground and pound shots) by Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) to retain his UFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of the evening.
Just as the main card and the evening proper ended with a knockout, the undercard ended in violent fashion. During the featured prelim earlier Saturday, light heavyweights took to the famed UFC Octagon.
Folks, the fight was a fun one for as long as it lasted. If, for some reason, you had to go out for a run at the grocery store on Saturday afternoon (USA time) and had to miss it. or if you were watching a college football game on TV, watch it on playback. You’ll see a star in the making in the 205-lb. division.
Ibo Aslan Makes Quick Work of Raffael Cerquera in Featured Undercard Bout
To highlight the undercard of UFC 308, 2023 Contender Series graduate Ibo Aslan (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) made his second promotional appearance since securing a UFC contract in August of last year against Raffael Cerquera (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC). While Aslan is only two fights into his tenure with the organization, he’s already making the highlight reel.
Right from the command to fight, the UFC 308 featured prelim was a classic case of one-way traffic. Heading into the weekend, Raffael Cerquera had finished 10 out of his 11 victories inside the distance, but Ibo Aslan gave Cerquera a taste of his own medicine.
Aslan connected on a jab 33 seconds into the opening round and just poured it on with a relentless barrage of punches from there, forcing referee Marc Godard to call off the bout. Time of the finish: A blistering 51 seconds.
“That’ll do it! Turkey, get behind your guy, Ibo Aslan!”, exclaimed Jon Anik, who served as the blow-by-blow commentator for UFC 308.
Aslan Wins Over Crowd
After the fight, the victorious Aslan took to the microphone. The assembled crowd inside Kingdom Arena was just as impressed with his words as it was with his fists.
“Abu Dhabi, do you like Turkish power?”, Aslan asked to begin his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier, to the roar of the crowd. “After this left hook, I watched him in the eye. He was like this. This is the beginning of the end. I just crush. I have Turkish power in my hands. If I touch somebody, he’s already died.”
At the end of the interview with Cormier, Aslan refused to call out a specific opponent for his next fight.
“I am coming for all of you!,” he said. “For all of you men! For all of you!”
Aslan Making a Statement
Bear in mind that UFC 308 was only his sophomore appearance in the promotion. If his performance on Saturday was any indication, however, this young man is certainly someone you’ll want to keep your eye on going forward.
Since his Contender Series appearance 14 short months ago, he’s proven himself worthy to be in the world’s No. 1 MMA promotion. A perfect stoppage rate looks good on any up-and-coming fighter’s resume.
He continued his victory lap when he met with the press backstage after the featured prelim of UFC 308.
“Dana White, I love you,” he began. “UFC knows already that I am the future rising star. That’s why this is just the beginning.”
Aslan Taking Metered Approach to His Career
Later in the presser, Ibo Aslan mentioned that he didn’t want a high-stakes contest to happen too soon in the Octagon.
“Step by step to the top,” he said of his career trajectory. “I don’t want to rush. Every opponent, everything has time, step, step, step and be champion.”
This is the best move for him. Given that he’s already got 14 career knockouts to his credit, Aslan has taken several steps as it is, including two championship victories in Austria earlier on in his career.
Final Thoughts
In closing, Ibo Aslan will be a force to be reckoned with at 205 lbs. over the next several years. As of this writing, it’s October of 2024. By the time October of 2029 rolls around, Ibo Aslan may have the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in his possession.
Whenever his next fight happens to be, whoever his opponent is, it’ll be a good show for Ibo Aslan.
