UFC 298 Preview
Alexander Volkanovski attempts a head kick on Max Holloway. Credit: San Diego Union-Tribute.
Finally, one of the most anticipated cards of the year has arrived, and it’s loaded from top to bottom. In the co-main event, two of the most popular and exciting fighters in the Middleweight division collide, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his belt against the white-hot Ilia Topuria. Preceding them are numerous established names and top-ten talent, making for what could be one of the best pay-per-views of 2024. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
#15 Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov
Anthony Hernandez rains down ground and pound on Edmen Shahbazyan. Credit: MMA Mania.
Middleweight Bout
Anthony Hernandez: 11-2-0, 2 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Roman Kopylov: 12-2-0, 11 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Hernandez has won four of his last five and has UFC victories over JunYong Park (17-6-0), Marc-Andre Barriault (16-7-0), and Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4-0). He’s a relentless grappler who’s always working for a finish and gets better as the fight goes on. He throws in combination on the feet and will use his striking to get into the pocket and either pursue a takedown or damage his opponent in the clinch. Hernandez is extremely tough, able to take a beating and still push a consistent pace, and often finds submissions out of seemingly nowhere. Training at MMAGold Fight Team, he has smothering clinch and top control, great takedowns, and extremely dangerous chokes, especially his guillotine. Five of his seven career submission wins are via guillotine, and he often performs his own modified version of the choke. Hernandez is very fluid on the ground and always finds a way to get to a safe position, always choosing position over submission.
Roman Kopylov lands a head kick on Josh Fremd. Credit: Sports Illustrated.
Kopylov has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Alessio Di Chirico (13-7-0), Claudio Ribeiro (11-4-0), and Punahele Soriano (9-4-0). He’s a sniper on the feet, using precision and power to dismantle his opponents. He won’t use a ton of footwork but is constantly feinting and drawing reactions out of his opponents, opening up opportunities to land strikes. Kopylov does an excellent job of varying his shots, attacking the head and body evely, and often mixing kicks into punch combinations. He never telegraphs shots or loads up but throws everything with devastating power and can produce flash knockouts anytime. Training with Raty Team, he’s unlikely to initiate grappling exchanges, but he has fantastic takedown defense and has defended 92% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Kopylov is exceptionally explosive, often touching his opponent with single shots before unleashing huge combinations.
#2 Merab Dvalishvili vs. #3 Henry Cejudo
Merab Dvalishvili lands an elbow on Petr Yan. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Bantamweight Bout
Merab Dvalishvili: 16-4-0, 3 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Henry Cejudo: 16-3-0, 8 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Dvalishvili has won all of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #5 ranked Bantamweight Petr Yan (16-5-0), Jose Aldo (31-8-0), and John Dodson (25-14-0). He has monstrous cardio, relentlessly pursuing takedowns and landing big flurries on the feet. He’s incredibly durable, always willing to eat a shot to land one, and is constantly pressuring forward. Dvalishvili has fantastic cardio and can easily wrestle for five rounds, averaging over six takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. Training with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, his constant wrestling threat helps to mask his striking, often coming forward with powerful hooks and big combinations. He never stops moving on the feet or the ground, constantly looking for a better position or opening to land a shot. Always looking to overwhelm his opponents, Dvalishvili lands, on average, nearly twice as many significant strikes per minute than he absorbs.
Henry Cejudo lands a knee on Marlon Moraes. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Cejudo has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over former Bantamweight champions TJ Dillashaw (18-5-0) and Dominick Cruz (24-4-0), as well as former Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (25-4-1). One of the most accomplished athletes in MMA, he’s a former UFC double champion (FLW & BW) and former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. Unsurprisingly, he’s an excellent grappler, averaging about two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and possessing smothering top control. Training at Fight Ready, Cejudo has fantastic takedowns and scrambles, seemingly always finding a way to top position. He uses a karate-like style on the feet, holding a wide stance, constantly moving and mixing kicks into combinations. All his attacks are lightning-fast, often using his striking to get into the pocket and grapple. Cejudo has excellent takedown defense, having defended 83% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC, and is highly fluid on the ground and in the clinch.
#8 Geoff Neal vs. Ian Garry
Geoff Neal unloads a left hand on Mike Perry. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Geoff Neal: 14-5-0, 8 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Ian Garry: 13-0-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Neal has won three of his last five outings and holds wins over #2 ranked Welterweight Belal Muhammad (23-3-0), #9 ranked Welterweight Vicente Luque (22-9-1), and the “Nigerian Nightmare” Mike Perry (14-8-0). He has serious power in his hands and throws everything in combination, always fighting behind his jab. While an aggressive striker, he remains technical, keeping his punches tight and straight and his guard high. Neal is defensively sound, has excellent head movement, and has defended 58% of significant strikes attempted on him in the UFC. Training at Fortis MMA, he does a great job of varying his shots and attacking from different angles, but his best punch by far is his left straight. He holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has shown some decent wrestling, with a takedown defense percentage of 85%. Neal has proven to have solid cardio, carrying the same speed and power across all 15 minutes.
Ian Garry lands a jab on Gabe Green. Credit: Action Network.
Garry is undefeated and has UFC victories over #12 ranked Welterweight Neil Magny (29-12-0), Daniel Rodriguez (17-4-0), and Song Kenan (20-8-0). He’s an excellent striker with a very fluid style, constantly moving and bouncing on his feet with an almost karate-like stance. He’s highly accurate, having landed 56% of the significant strikes he has attempted in the UFC, and remains patient, always looking for openings. Garry fights behind his jab and has excellent distance management, typically controlling the center of the cage and forcing his opponent to the outside. He has a deadly kicking arsenal and uses them to do significant damage at range, never telegraphing and constantly mixing kicks into punch combinations. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he holds a black belt in Judo and has solid takedown defense but rarely initiates grappling exchanges. Garry benefits from a slower pace, technical fight, having never been pulled into a knockdown, drag-out brawl.
#3 Robert Whittaker vs. #6 Paulo Costa
Robert Whittaker throws a head kick at Kelvin Gastelum. Credit: MMA Mania.
Middleweight Bout
Robert Whittaker: 25-7-0, 10 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Paulo Costa: 14-2-0, 11 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Whittaker has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Middleweight Jared Cannonier (17-6-0), #5 ranked Middleweight Marvin Vettori (19-7-1), and Kelvin Gastelum (18-9-0). He is an excellent, technical striker in perpetual motion, constantly bouncing and throwing in combination. Utilizing his karate background, he has fantastic lead leg attacks and throws all his shots tight and straight. Training at PMA Martial Arts, Whittaker varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and never overextending or getting sloppy. He’s elusive, never staying in one spot for long, and always keeps his head off the centerline. He does an excellent job mixing kicks into combinations, making them extremely hard to predict or see before they land. Whittaker has great cardio and remains composed throughout, easily able to go for 25 minutes.
Paulo Costa blasts Luke Rockhold with a left hand. Credit: Yahoo Sports.
Costa has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Yoel Romero (15-7-0), Uriah Hall (18-11-0), and former UFC Welterweight champion Johny Hendricks (18-8-0). He is best known for his devastating power, having won 11 of his first twelve career fights by knockout. Possessing power in both his hands and kicks, he’s always capable of a one-shot KO. Costa has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but rarely goes to the ground and hasn’t attempted a single submission in the UFC. Training with the Pitbull Brothers, he is at his best when pressuring forward, throwing bombs and powerful kicks, especially to the body. He is more than willing to eat a shot to land one, absorbing an almost equal amount of significant strikes as he lands per minute. Costa slows as the fight continues and will take more risks the deeper the fight goes.
(C) Alexander Volkanovski vs. #3 Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski lands a stiff jab on Max Holloway. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Featherweight Title Bout
Alexander Volkanovski: 26-3-0, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Ilia Topuria: 14-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.
Volkanovski has won three of his last five outings and has wins over #1 ranked Featherweight Max Holloway (25-7-0), #2 ranked Featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4-0), and #4 ranked Featherweight Brian Ortega (15-3-0). He is an excellent technical striker with serious power in both hands and devastating leg kicks. He’s highly accurate, throws every shot with purpose, and quickly moves in and out of the pocket without taking damage. Volkanovski never telegraphs his attacks and is defensively sound, defending 58% of significant strikes attempted on him. Although elusive, he’s willing to eat a shot to land one and will brawl inside the pocket. Training at City Kickboxing, he has excellent cardio and is constantly pressuring forward, averaging 95 significant strikes landed in his last five fights. Volkanovski also averages nearly two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes, has excellent wrestling with heavy top pressure, outstanding control in the clinch, and an incredible ability to escape submissions.
Ilia Topuria unloads a combination on Josh Emmett. Credit: MMA Mania.
Topuria is undefeated with UFC victories over #7 ranked Featherweight Josh Emmett (19-4-0), #10 ranked Featherweight Bryce Mitchell (16-3-0), and Jai Herbert (12-5-1). He uses a boxing style on the feet, staying composed and fighting behind his jab, and does an excellent job of mixing up his attacks between the head and body. With great power in both hands, he’s always very dangerous on the feet, with 12 of his fourteen wins coming via finish. Training at Climent Club, Topuria is also an excellent grappler with a slick submission game. He has fantastic wrestling, often using double-leg takedowns to bring his opponent down. He has solid top control and does a great job of staying aware of any submission attempts thrown his way while often pursuing multiple submissions, typically chokes. No matter where the fight goes, Topuria always looks for the finish, whether it’s a knockout or a submission.
Best Bets
Hernandez vs. Kopylov to Not Go the Distance: This matchup is much closer than the odds indicate. Hernandez has the grappling advantage, with the striking advantage going to Kopylov. Ultimately, it’ll be decided who can work their strategy better. Regardless, with twenty finishes in 27 fights between the two, I’m pretty confident this doesn’t go to the cards.
Geoff Neal Moneyline: I’d feel like a traitor if I didn’t include this pick. Regardless of my dislike of Ian Garry, I genuinely believe this is his toughest test, and he’s gotten caught on the chin and dropped before. If Neal catches him clean like other fighters have, he could end Garry’s run of terror.
Alexander Volkanovski Moneyline: Per usual, the toughest pick is the main event. I am a massive fan of Topuria and have been since his debut in the promotion, and I’ve been looking forward to his chance at the gold. That said, Volkanovski has been an absolute monster at 145 pounds and looks great coming into this bout. While I know the KO loss to Makhachev made him lose a lot of his luster, he’s still one of the best fighters in the world, and I believe he’ll prove that again on Saturday.
