Saturday's UFC 298 features a stacked card that has fans buzzing. Headlined by the featherweight title matchup between champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Ilia Topuria, the event takes place this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The night's card is filled with exciting and impactful matchups that I'll be breaking down and giving my predictions for below.
Featherweight: Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Ilia Topuria (5-Round Championship)
When I posted my 2024 UFC Champion predictions in January, I predicted Ilia Topuria to be the man holding the featherweight strap at year's end. I said then, and I'll say now, that Alexander Volkanovski's reign has been as long and great as any UFC champion could hope for. He's an incredible combination of physical prowess and mental fortitude, and has capitalized on both to forever tie his name to greatness. But as I also said then; great reigns can end quickly. Following a pair of lightweight losses to pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski currently has less momentum than he's ever had as champion. Topuria is an extremely hungry and well-rounded fighter with the striking potential needed to finish Volkanovski on the feet. While Volkanovski's elite history and Topuria's pre-fight antics cause me to question my original prediction, I'm going to stick with it.
Official Prediction: Topuria (C) def Volkanovski by TKO inside 3 rounds
Middleweight: Paulo Costa vs Robert Whittaker
Paulo Costa will return from an almost two year absence against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. This is an enticing striking matchup that pits Whittaker's precision against Costa's power. Whittaker is coming off his worst performance to date against the similarly heavy-handed Dricus DuPlessis, so Costa's power could be problematic. The winner of this fight could potentially reinsert themselves into the middleweight title picture, but the loser will likely experience a bit of a career freefall. Despite the striking resumes of both fighters, neither has won via stoppage since Costa's 2018 TKO of Uriah Hall. Although both Costa and Whittaker are experiencing a knockout drought, I'm predicting this fight to end early. While both sides are capable of a finish, I think Whittaker's long career has taken its toll on his chin, leaving him overly vulnerable to Costa's considerable power.
Official Prediction: Costa def Whittaker by KO inside 2 rounds
Welterweight: Ian Machado Garry vs Geoff Neal
Ian Machado Garry has become a household name among UFC fans in recent months, though he's not without his share of detractors. The Irishman is looking to preserve his undefeated record against the experienced and dangerous Geoff Neal. Garry's best chance of winning involves staying on the outside, as Neal's best offense comes from in or near the clinch. While Garry is undefeated and seems headed for elite welterweight competition, I'm predicting a stumble here against Neal. Garry has shown issues with avoiding head strikes in the past, and he can't afford to get caught against someone with Neal's great boxing and considerable power.
Official Prediction: Neal def Garry by TKO inside 2 rounds
Bantamweight: Henry Cejudo vs Merab Dvalishvili
Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo is making a final push towards regaining the UFC Bantamweight Championship. After retiring as double champion (flyweight and bantamweight) in 2020, Cejudo enjoyed a three-year layoff before returning in a split-decision loss to then-champion Aljamain Sterling. Cejudo clearly has something left in the tank, but faces an incredibly tough challenge in Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili, who is second in the UFC's bantamweight rankings, has an incredible gas tank and will look to push the pace all fight long. Dvalishvili's primary tool is his takedown offense, which doesn't match up very well against Cejudo, who's a former Olympic and Pan American gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. However, Dvalishvili's utter relentlessness has allowed him to win fights even when most of his takedowns get stuffed. While Cejudo presents Dvalishvili a serious obstacle, I think Dvalishvili's persistence and stamina will earn the Jordanian fighter a decision win.
Official Prediction: Dvalishvili def Cejudo via decision
Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov
Both of these fighters enter this matchup with four-fight winning streaks. Kopylov has won all four fights by second or third-round strikes, while Hernandez has used dominant wrestling to secure two submissions, a TKO and a decision win. Hernandez will likely purse that wrestling against a dangerous striker in Kopylov. Kopylov has good takedown defense but has previously struggled to escape when caught on the ground. If Hernandez can take and keep Kopylov down, he'll likely earn a decision victory.
Official Prediction: Hernandez def Kopylov via decision
Performance of the Night Bonus: Ilia Topuria
A title change would almost certainly result in a Performance of the Night bonus. If Topuria can secure the win, he can look forwards to finding an additional 50K in his fight purse.
Fight of the Night Bonuses: Costa vs Whittaker
Both of these explosive fighters know that a loss here will do serious damage to the loser's UFC future. As such, I predict this fight to be a fan-friendly barn-burner for as long as it goes.
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