Topic: UFC 298
UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria
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- Saturday 02.17.2024 at 06:30 PM ET
- U.S. Broadcast: Pay Per View | Prelims: ESPN
- Promotion: Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Ownership: Endeavor
- Venue: Honda Center
- Location: Anaheim, California, United States
- Enclosure: Octagon
- TV Announcers: Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, Michael Bisping
- Ring Announcer: Bruce Buffer
- Post-Fight Interviews: Joe Rogan
- Ticket Revenue (live gate): $7,260,000
- Attendance: 18,186
- MMA Bouts: 12
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Promotion Links:
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Event Links:
| Bout | Info | |
|---|---|---|
| Ilia Topuria defeats Alexander Volkanovski via KO/TKO, Right Hook | 3:32 Round 2 of 5, 8:32 Total Bout Page | |
| Robert Whittaker defeats Paulo Costa via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Ian Machado Garry defeats Geoff Neal via Decision, Split | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Merab Dvalishvili defeats Henry Cejudo via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Anthony Hernandez defeats Roman Kopylov via Submission, Rear Naked Choke | 3:23 Round 2 of 3, 8:23 Total Bout Page | |
| Amanda Lemos defeats Mackenzie Dern via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Marcos Rogério de Lima defeats Junior Tafa via KO/TKO, Leg Kicks to Ground and Pound | 1:14 Round 2 of 3, 6:14 Total Bout Page | |
| Rinya Nakamura defeats Carlos Vera via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Mingyang Zhang defeats Brendson Ribeiro via KO/TKO, Punches to Hammerfists | 1:41 Round 1 of 3 Bout Page | |
| Danny Barlow defeats Josh Quinlan via KO/TKO, Punches | 1:18 Round 3 of 3, 11:18 Total Bout Page | |
| Oban Elliott defeats Val Woodburn via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page | |
| Miranda Maverick defeats Andrea Lee via Decision, Unanimous | 3 Rounds, 15:00 Total Bout Page |
Responses Page 18
02.14.2024 | 12:13 PM ET
Predictions: 8 of 12 Winners, 4 Perfect, 530 Points | Tied for 2880th
02.14.2024 | 12:18 PM ET
Predictions: 9 of 12 Winners, 5 Perfect, 590 Points | Tied for 1704th
02.14.2024 | 12:24 PM ET
Predictions: 9 of 11 Winners, 7 Perfect, 690 Points | Tied for 526th
I still can't figure out why they moved Tai to some lame ass Apex
"Every animal has a different bite" - Benjamin Esparza
02.14.2024 | 12:33 PM ET
Predictions: 10 of 12 Winners, 4 Perfect, 645 Points | Tied for 894th
Why do I feel like Whittaker is gonna get walked down the entire fight and lose a decision as I scream at the TV in anger
02.14.2024 | 12:42 PM ET
Predictions: 9 of 11 Winners, 7 Perfect, 690 Points | Tied for 526th
"Every animal has a different bite" - Benjamin Esparza
02.14.2024 | 1:08 PM ET
Volkanovski fans rise up
Predictions: 8 of 12 Winners, 4 Perfect, 515 Points | Tied for 3104th
Changed my opinion. We ride or die with our man from the land down under. Can't wait to see him fraudcheck Topuria
"My goal is perfection. I will never reach perfection." - Georges St-Pierre.
02.14.2024 | 1:08 PM ET
Predictions: 11 of 12 Winners, 6 Perfect, 790 Points | Tied for 66th
@oneyecroom parlays is how the bookies win money. It’s better to look for dogs or props. Dogs especially if you want to bet ksw and oktagon; I think underdogs have a near positive win rate in octagon
"“Unfortunately you can’t talk like that on FOX” - Joe Rogan"
02.14.2024 | 1:26 PM ET
Prediction Comments
Predictions: 11 of 12 Winners, 7 Perfect, 790 Points | Tied for 66th
Volkanovski vs. Topuria
Ilia Topuria, TKO, R2
Actually rooting for Topuria to KO him. We need something new
Neal vs. Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry, DEC
Please get it done Neal PLEASE!
Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Merab Dvalishvili, DEC
Merab by split decision
Lemos vs. Dern
Amanda Lemos, TKO, R2
HEAD MOVEMENT! HEAD MOVEMENT!
Woodburn vs. Elliott
Oban Elliott, DEC
Really rooting for Val here. I've been waiting for his return after they fed him to Bo. Seems like a really nice and genuine guy
Ilia Topuria, TKO, R2
Actually rooting for Topuria to KO him. We need something new
Neal vs. Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry, DEC
Please get it done Neal PLEASE!
Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Merab Dvalishvili, DEC
Merab by split decision
Lemos vs. Dern
Amanda Lemos, TKO, R2
HEAD MOVEMENT! HEAD MOVEMENT!
Woodburn vs. Elliott
Oban Elliott, DEC
Really rooting for Val here. I've been waiting for his return after they fed him to Bo. Seems like a really nice and genuine guy
"We fall, but we get up because the ground is no place for a champion." - Dustin Poirier
02.14.2024 | 2:12 PM ET
Predictions: 11 of 12 Winners, 6 Perfect, 765 Points | Tied for 114th
Been thinking a lot about how awesome Volk looked in his first fight with Islam...
My initial thought was "if that Volk shows up, Topuria is in trouble". However, the more I've thought about it, I find myself thinking "Topuria vs. Islam is probably a very competitive fight".
My initial thought was "if that Volk shows up, Topuria is in trouble". However, the more I've thought about it, I find myself thinking "Topuria vs. Islam is probably a very competitive fight".
02.14.2024 | 2:39 PM ET
Predictions: 11 of 12 Winners, 6 Perfect, 790 Points | Tied for 66th
Henry just said he will 100% retire with a loss to merab. I was already hearing things about his camp not going well but retirement talk is always a huge red flag
"“Unfortunately you can’t talk like that on FOX” - Joe Rogan"
02.14.2024 | 2:41 PM ET
Predictions: 7 of 8 Winners, 0 Perfect, 350 Points | Tied for 5440th
Henry DEC more I think about this fight I’m starting to lean Henry by 29-28
Neal KO Ian’s chin is a ticking time bomb. I do think he is the more skilled guy though
Neal KO Ian’s chin is a ticking time bomb. I do think he is the more skilled guy though
This user is suspended from posting until 9 months, 6 hours, and 32 minutes from now.
02.14.2024 | 2:54 PM ET
Prediction Comments
Predictions: 2 of 11 Winners, 1 Perfect, 125 Points | Tied for 6617th
Volkanovski vs. Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski, TKO, R2
Gogogo Volk
Whittaker vs. Costa
Robert Whittaker, DEC
Rupe-i fâșu
Alexander Volkanovski, TKO, R2
Gogogo Volk
Whittaker vs. Costa
Robert Whittaker, DEC
Rupe-i fâșu
02.14.2024 | 3:12 PM ET
Predictions: 8 of 12 Winners, 4 Perfect, 530 Points | Tied for 2880th
02.14.2024 | 3:45 PM ET
Predictions: 6 of 12 Winners, 3 Perfect, 375 Points | Tied for 5234th
Danny Borlow gonna get fraud checked. Expect the good ole parlay buster :)
02.14.2024 | 3:48 PM ET
Predictions: 6 of 12 Winners, 3 Perfect, 375 Points | Tied for 5234th
02.14.2024 | 3:58 PM ET
Predictions: 11 of 12 Winners, 7 Perfect, 805 Points | Tied for 45th with 11 others
02.14.2024 | 4:00 PM ET
Predictions: 9 of 11 Winners, 7 Perfect, 690 Points | Tied for 526th
I would like to point out the fact Whittaker struggles against fighters with longer reaches, DDP, and Israel, and he got badly rocked by Cannonier going into the last seconds of the third round. Costa doesn't have a longer reach than Whittaker, his reach is 1.5 inches shorter than Whittaker's. That's one of the main reasons why I'm leaning towards Whittaker.
"Every animal has a different bite" - Benjamin Esparza
02.14.2024 | 4:16 PM ET
Predictions: 8 of 12 Winners, 5 Perfect, 590 Points | Tied for 1846th
"ZAZAAAAA"
02.14.2024 | 4:21 PM ET
Predictions: 6 of 12 Winners, 3 Perfect, 375 Points | Tied for 5234th
02.14.2024 | 4:21 PM ET
Prediction Comments
Predictions: 9 of 12 Winners, 4 Perfect, 605 Points | Tied for 1451st
Volkanovski vs. Topuria
Ilia Topuria, TKO, R4
I've been going back and forth on this fight for a long time. Volkanovski in my opinion is the best featherweight of all time and is arguably the most well rounded fighter in the entire ufc right now. Elite striking in all facets, elite range management, unlimited cardio, and a newfound dominant offensive ground game to pair with elite defensive wrestling and grappling. The guy has simply looked unbeatable at 145 and it makes me sick to pick against him here. Ilia has been a guy I've touted as a future champion for a while now and I believe the stars are aligning for that to happen. Technically I think Volk has Ilia everywhere besides boxing, and the ground game should be even I do not see either of these guys getting submitted. The main difference I see here is finishing ability on the feet. Yes we've seen Volk drop Yair and stop TKZ on the feet, but Ilia's finishing ability is different. His tenacity, technique, and raw power and extremely dangerous and he carries it later into fights. I think he will eventually find an opening and drop Volk later on in the fight while down on the scorecards and get a tko finish. This fight will be amazing and I am extremely torn on this pick but it feels like fate for Ilia to be the one who ends Volk's reign.
Whittaker vs. Costa
Robert Whittaker, DEC
Bobby revenge tour starts here. Everyone is down on Rob because he was finished but DDP is an absolute force and now the champion. Costa couldn't finish Luke Rockhold in his last fight. Whittaker is far more skilled than Costa but Paulo is chaos personified and will make the fight ugly if Whittaker does not gain his respect early. This could be dangerous for Rob but I'm backing him to use his wide skill set to take this one.
Neal vs. Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry, DEC
As much as everyone hates him, Garry is very good and is a bad matchup for Neal. Love Geoff and he absolutely could catch Garry but he tends to struggle against rangier strikers who can kickbox from the outside rather than Luque or Shavkat who will bang in the pocket with him. Garry will kickbox his way to a decision win.
Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Henry Cejudo, DEC
Unpopular pick but I geniunely like Henry a lot in this spot. Merab's win vs Petr was extremely impressive and his pace is absolutely alien. Henry on the other hand had some issues with Sterling's wrestling but overall still had an extremely close title fight with a much larger bantamweight coming off of a long layoff. With more time in the gym getting his body back to normal, as well as his ability to gameplan and also this fight's styles I think Henry will get the W here. Merab weaponizes pace, pressure, and cardio to find takedowns and more importantly control the cage. He also showed improved striking in his Yan fight. That being said, this is a 3 round fight where Henry will not have to worry about gassing and Merab will not just be able to take Henry down at will, and if he does take Henry down he will not hold him down at all. I also rate Henry's striking higher than Merab's and think he'll be able to utilize his kick game a lot. Triple C takes this one and extends the final run at the belt.
Hernandez vs. Kopylov
Anthony Hernandez, SUB, R2
Love me some Kopylov but don't really understand how he's the favorite on tap. Yes he has crisp standup and primarily kickboxing and he does finish fights but this is mostly from accumulating damage over 2-3 rounds in fights where he can keep it standing. He does have good TD but Fluffy's relentless pace and pressure will allow him to get Kopylov down multiple times and blanket him. I think he finds the submission over short notice Kopylov.
Lemos vs. Dern
Amanda Lemos, TKO, R2
Dern got the brakes beaten off of here only about 3 months ago and Lemos has just as much power as Andrade. I think she can stop enough of the TD attempts to pile on the damage until she finds a finish in similar fashion to Andrade vs. Dern just 2 ppvs ago
Rogério de Lima vs. Tafa
Justin Tafa, TKO, R1
Give me a more patient and calculated version of Tafa in this one. De Lima has the grappling upside but I think Tafa will use body kicks and feints to keep De Lima on the outside and eventually fire the hands when the opening is there. I don't think Tafa is a death touch world beater or anything but I do think his hands are very quick and he does have the power to finish this fight.
Nakamura vs. Vera
Rinya Nakamura, TKO, R1
Nothing much to say here Rinya will have his way by finish in the 1st. Different levels.
Zhang vs. Ribeiro
Brendson Ribeiro, TKO, R1
This fight will not be seeing the scorecards. Two powerful, chinny, aggressive heavyweights that will clash. Pretty sure all of their combined wins have ended by finish. Zhang has fought horrible competition and Ribeiro has the reach advantage so I will side with the underdog in what seems to be a 50/50
Quinlan vs. Barlow
Danny Barlow, TKO, R1
This is going to be a barn burner, both of these guys love to brawl and are very athletic. Barlow has an 8 inch reach advantage and has the slight athletic advantage but will be at a disadvantage IF Quinlan decides to grapple, emphasis on the if. Quinlan's game is very rudimentary and he will just try to move forward instead of wrestling and get caught. Barlow really relies on his left and it will get him in trouble eventually but not this one.
Woodburn vs. Elliott
Oban Elliott, TKO, R1
Don't rate either of these guys highly but Val is going to have a hard time coming down to 170 and that combined with his reckless style will lead to another early first rd finish. Elliot is nothing special either but at the least is tough.
Lee vs. Maverick
Miranda Maverick, DEC
Lee has a very strong chance of winning this one if she can simply defend enough takedowns to not be on her back for the entirety of the rounds, but I think Maverick will be able to wrestle enough and have some success standing to win this one. She really struggles against other wrestlers who can strike and this isn't the case for Lee.
Ilia Topuria, TKO, R4
I've been going back and forth on this fight for a long time. Volkanovski in my opinion is the best featherweight of all time and is arguably the most well rounded fighter in the entire ufc right now. Elite striking in all facets, elite range management, unlimited cardio, and a newfound dominant offensive ground game to pair with elite defensive wrestling and grappling. The guy has simply looked unbeatable at 145 and it makes me sick to pick against him here. Ilia has been a guy I've touted as a future champion for a while now and I believe the stars are aligning for that to happen. Technically I think Volk has Ilia everywhere besides boxing, and the ground game should be even I do not see either of these guys getting submitted. The main difference I see here is finishing ability on the feet. Yes we've seen Volk drop Yair and stop TKZ on the feet, but Ilia's finishing ability is different. His tenacity, technique, and raw power and extremely dangerous and he carries it later into fights. I think he will eventually find an opening and drop Volk later on in the fight while down on the scorecards and get a tko finish. This fight will be amazing and I am extremely torn on this pick but it feels like fate for Ilia to be the one who ends Volk's reign.
Whittaker vs. Costa
Robert Whittaker, DEC
Bobby revenge tour starts here. Everyone is down on Rob because he was finished but DDP is an absolute force and now the champion. Costa couldn't finish Luke Rockhold in his last fight. Whittaker is far more skilled than Costa but Paulo is chaos personified and will make the fight ugly if Whittaker does not gain his respect early. This could be dangerous for Rob but I'm backing him to use his wide skill set to take this one.
Neal vs. Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry, DEC
As much as everyone hates him, Garry is very good and is a bad matchup for Neal. Love Geoff and he absolutely could catch Garry but he tends to struggle against rangier strikers who can kickbox from the outside rather than Luque or Shavkat who will bang in the pocket with him. Garry will kickbox his way to a decision win.
Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Henry Cejudo, DEC
Unpopular pick but I geniunely like Henry a lot in this spot. Merab's win vs Petr was extremely impressive and his pace is absolutely alien. Henry on the other hand had some issues with Sterling's wrestling but overall still had an extremely close title fight with a much larger bantamweight coming off of a long layoff. With more time in the gym getting his body back to normal, as well as his ability to gameplan and also this fight's styles I think Henry will get the W here. Merab weaponizes pace, pressure, and cardio to find takedowns and more importantly control the cage. He also showed improved striking in his Yan fight. That being said, this is a 3 round fight where Henry will not have to worry about gassing and Merab will not just be able to take Henry down at will, and if he does take Henry down he will not hold him down at all. I also rate Henry's striking higher than Merab's and think he'll be able to utilize his kick game a lot. Triple C takes this one and extends the final run at the belt.
Hernandez vs. Kopylov
Anthony Hernandez, SUB, R2
Love me some Kopylov but don't really understand how he's the favorite on tap. Yes he has crisp standup and primarily kickboxing and he does finish fights but this is mostly from accumulating damage over 2-3 rounds in fights where he can keep it standing. He does have good TD but Fluffy's relentless pace and pressure will allow him to get Kopylov down multiple times and blanket him. I think he finds the submission over short notice Kopylov.
Lemos vs. Dern
Amanda Lemos, TKO, R2
Dern got the brakes beaten off of here only about 3 months ago and Lemos has just as much power as Andrade. I think she can stop enough of the TD attempts to pile on the damage until she finds a finish in similar fashion to Andrade vs. Dern just 2 ppvs ago
Rogério de Lima vs. Tafa
Justin Tafa, TKO, R1
Give me a more patient and calculated version of Tafa in this one. De Lima has the grappling upside but I think Tafa will use body kicks and feints to keep De Lima on the outside and eventually fire the hands when the opening is there. I don't think Tafa is a death touch world beater or anything but I do think his hands are very quick and he does have the power to finish this fight.
Nakamura vs. Vera
Rinya Nakamura, TKO, R1
Nothing much to say here Rinya will have his way by finish in the 1st. Different levels.
Zhang vs. Ribeiro
Brendson Ribeiro, TKO, R1
This fight will not be seeing the scorecards. Two powerful, chinny, aggressive heavyweights that will clash. Pretty sure all of their combined wins have ended by finish. Zhang has fought horrible competition and Ribeiro has the reach advantage so I will side with the underdog in what seems to be a 50/50
Quinlan vs. Barlow
Danny Barlow, TKO, R1
This is going to be a barn burner, both of these guys love to brawl and are very athletic. Barlow has an 8 inch reach advantage and has the slight athletic advantage but will be at a disadvantage IF Quinlan decides to grapple, emphasis on the if. Quinlan's game is very rudimentary and he will just try to move forward instead of wrestling and get caught. Barlow really relies on his left and it will get him in trouble eventually but not this one.
Woodburn vs. Elliott
Oban Elliott, TKO, R1
Don't rate either of these guys highly but Val is going to have a hard time coming down to 170 and that combined with his reckless style will lead to another early first rd finish. Elliot is nothing special either but at the least is tough.
Lee vs. Maverick
Miranda Maverick, DEC
Lee has a very strong chance of winning this one if she can simply defend enough takedowns to not be on her back for the entirety of the rounds, but I think Maverick will be able to wrestle enough and have some success standing to win this one. She really struggles against other wrestlers who can strike and this isn't the case for Lee.
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