UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria

The UFC welcomes back its featherweight champion, Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski, in one of the most intense and bad-blooded fights of his career against undefeated Ilia Toupuria. A king will be crowned at 145 and three more highly anticipated bouts from weight classes all across the board will finally be answered. UFC legends, future stars, and guaranteed action set the stage for California's first UFC card in two years.

Main Event

    It's time for a new rivalry at 145. UFC's most dominant division of all time will have a super fight in Anaheim. Two men who have never lost at 145 pounds will fight for one of the most anticipated fights in divisions history. Challenger, Ilia Toupuria, has been about as cocky as one can be heading into a fight against a man who has a title reign going for four years now. The fourth ever featherweight champion has been dominant and what he's done as been special. He's in elite company with Jose Aldo, Connor McGregor, and Max Holloway to be the only men to ever hold the 145-pound belt. These two men have had a lot to say and just about anything could happen Saturday night.

    Most consider Volkanovski to be the greatest flyweight in history and he has never had much of a scare in this division, but he's also never faced a man who has looked equally dominant in the UFC. Volkanovski is coming of a 1-2 year in 2023 with 2 loses to P4P number 1, Islam Makachev. While that's not a great year, Alexander looked great in the first two fights of the year, his first attempt at 155-pound gold, and his fifth defense against Yair Rodriguez. However, he is coming off a first round KO loss against Makachev in October. This has scared a lot of UFC fans and is one of the big reasons most believe this fight is extremely dangerous for him. The Australian is now 35 and coming off a brutal head kick KO, two indicators that this will be a tough fight to win. If there's one thing I can say about Volk, never count this man out, he has defied the odds countless times throughout his illustrious career and can finish a fight however he wants. There are so many tools in his arsenal, and I hope we get to see them in Anaheim.

Alexander Volkanovski's iconic walkout in Australia

    Older but dominant featherweight champion vs. undefeated upcoming superstar with a huge following, does this sound familiar to anyone? The similarities between this fight with Ilia Touporia and Connor Mcgregor in 2016 are scary crazy. Any UFC fan knows what happened then and it launched Connor into superstar territory. I'm not saying I expect something like that to happen again, but Ilia looks about as confident as one can be. He has talked about this being his destiny, and honestly the guy has backed it up in his 14 professional fights. "El Matador" is only 27 and has a very bright future in this sport with his ju jitsu background and elite boxing ability. He will have a real chance to win this fight and Vegas agrees, but this will not be as easy as a fight as he says. He's fighting a legit G.O.A.T. of this sport. I expect an absolute war between two guys who don't like each other.

Ilia Touporia after victory

Trash talk moments between Volkanovski and Touporia

Other Fights

• Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa- Third ranked middleweight, Robert Whittaker returns after a long break from the octogen. He's a legend of this sport and is a fan favorite. He will face a man with insane power and quickness for his size. Both of these men believe a win at UFC 298 will give them a title shot, and that's very possible. These guys are both killers who love to stand on the feet and throw hands. Whittaker is coming off a loss, but with a resume like his and considering it's against the current champion there is plenty of intrigue in a rematch. Costa has caught plenty of criticism for pulling out of fights, but finally we see him back in the octogen against a very scary puncher.

Whittaker (left) and Costa (right)

• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo- UFC fans are in for a treat in this one. Bantamweight is one of the most interesting divisions in the sport with straight killers from top to bottom in the top 15. Both of these men are already deserving a title shot and this a guarantee that the winner will be the next one to challenge for the 135-pound belt. Henry Cejudo is probably the greatest combat sports athlete of all time with his accomplishments in wresting and MMA, but he's getting older and is coming off a close loss in a championship fight in his last bout. Say what you want about Henry, but he's still got it. The guy can do it all at a high level, but so can the Georgian in the other corner, Merab. Dvalishvili has deserved a title shot for a while now and it's a shame he hasn't gotten it yet, but a win against a legend in Cejudo will guarantee a chance for gold. He will look for a 10th straight UFC victory and I expect this one to be his hardest fight yet. 

• Ian Garry vs Geoff Neal- Two very skilled welterweights fight for the first time this year in a fight with high implications in it. Ian Garry has slowly become one of the most unlikeable fighters in the UFC since his fight last August. His reputation from fans has suffered, but he's still an incredibly talented striker. Any times he's in the ring it's scary and fireworks are expected. He's undefeated and has a huge chip on his shoulder now. However, Geoff Neal is no easy task. He's coming off a loss against the best rising star in the UFC, but he looked pretty sharp in his last fight until the last round. He comes in as the underdog and understandably so, but watch out for Neal here, he's a very underrated fighter.

Ian Garry after his 13th win at UFC 292 in Boston

Best Bets

• Dvalishvili vs Cejudo- Dvalishvili (-225): I don't love the value here. These aren't great odds and if you're someone that's high on Cejudo then I completely understand fading this, however I think Merab is a very scary man in this weight class. He has looked very good and while he's facing someone of a similar style, I think he's going to be good enough to win. I'm very tempted to put Merab by decision just because in a 3 round fight I think he will outpoint Henry.

Cejudo (left) and Dvalishvili (right)

• Dern vs Lemos- Dern (+115): This is a tough one, but I like the value McKenzie Dern brings to the table in the prelim headliner. She is entering the prime of her career and I think her submission skills are extremely talented.  Amanda Lemos came off one of the most lobsided losses in championship history and this will affect her. I see Dern as someone who learns from her last loss and starts a run at the title.

• Neal vs Garry- Garry by Decision (+150): Ian Garry is a little overrated by MMA fans and I think he would struggle with top 5 welterweights. Now that I've said that I can also say he's very talented and is not someone that will fight on his back foot. He's very smart and I think he's going to get the best of Neal. This is Garry's biggest fight to date, and I think he stays undefeated after 3 intense rounds.

All bets combined into one parlay: +676

All odds vis ESPN Bet

In The News

300 Headliner this Saturday?

  

  There are many reports that Dana White will finally announce the UFC 300 headliner after UFC 298 concludes on Saturday night. It has certainly taken a while and UFC fans are borderline upset with White due to the amount of time it's taken to find out the main event. No one really knows who's going to headline the event due to so many rumors and doubt as to what's actually going to be true. There are plenty of options and we might actually get two bouts announced Saturday night. Volkanovski has even said if he makes quick work of Touporia, he would be willing to headline the event in two months. That feels a little unrealistic that he could turn around in 2 months but it's something to watch. There are plenty of potential fights and the UFC world will certainly be watching after Volkanovski and Touporia finish up.