SUMMARY
- Alexander Volkanovski would be defending his title against the undefeated Ilia Topuria.
- Aljamain Sterling shared his opinion on the UFC 298 main event during a media press conference.
The UFC fans are in for another banger after UFC 297, witnessing middleweights Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis go to war. This time the action would be set in the featherweight division when the undisputed champion Alexander Volkanovski would be defending his title against the undefeated Ilia Topuria, headlining the main event for UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in California, United States.
Both fighters exchanged words and trash talks before their meeting in the octagon. Topuria is confident going in on a 6-fight UFC win streak and an untouched record of 14 wins with no losses in his professional MMA career. His opponent is a stacked legend of the division, with the second-longest win streak and second-most title fight wins.
It’s officially UFC 298 fight week and I couldn’t be more excited pic.twitter.com/3F9ThFwN2s
— Homelander MMA (@HomelanderMMA) February 11, 2024
Both fighters have the MMA community divided with their predictions. While many do consider Topuria to be a ruthless opponent with his striking and grappling skills, none can argue with the heart and talent of the first Australian-born fighter to win a UFC championship. Top UFC fighters have also shared their predictions and analysis for the upcoming showdown between these elite fighters.
Aljamain Sterling, Movsar Evloev, and Josh Emmett backs Alexander Volkanovski to defeat Ilia Topuria at UFC 298
Former Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling shared his opinion on the UFC 298 main event during a media press conference. The Funk Master backed the Featherweight Champion for the win, claiming him to be a more complete fighter in comparison to Topuria. The bantamweight has long been eyeing moving up a weight class and soon could be seen entering the division.
No. 5 ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev stated, “He is still tough, and it’s not about Illia; he is tough too; he is undefeated; he is 14 or something…but my favorite is still Alex.” The featherweight clarified that Illia did have a fair chance but would still side with Volkanovski as his favorite. He also added that he would like to face Topuria for the title due to their ongoing storyline.
Another featherweight Josh Emmett sided with Volk, commenting, “How can you go against him, like he[Volkanovski] continues to improve…every single time he would win and win…and then he earned the respect that I feel like he deserves”. Emmett appreciated the champion’s journey and dominance in the division and thought the same would continue. Josh faced Topuria at the UFC on ABC 5, losing via unanimous decision.
Arnold Allen, Robert Whittaker, and Henry Cjeudo predict an upset win for Ilia Topuria against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298
Just like Alexander Volkanovski, many fighters sided with the young and hungry challenger, Ilia Topuria. On the list would be former UFC Middleweight Champion and fellow Australian UFC fighter Robert Whittaker.
He stated, “Before that last loss against Makhachev, Volk was unstoppable…having a loss like that the way it happened..headspace is such a big part of the fight game,” highlighting the champion’s last dominant loss against Islam Makhachev.
Although the featherweight had stepped in on very short notice for the UFC 294 title bout, many believe a defeat like that can affect the mentality of the fighter. Former UFC double champion Henry Cjeudo commented, “If he can protect his leg kicks and if he can bring back some of that Georgian wrestling into it, I can see Illia Topuria not only just beat him but actually dominate him.”
Backing and advising Topuria to mix up his striking and grappling skills with wrestling and better leg kick defense to dominate Alexander Volkanovski. The No. 6 ranked featherweight Arnold Allen also chose Topuria as his pick, sharing, “I think Topuria is gonna beat him.” Fans and fighters both expect to see a close fight between the two top featherweights in the division in a battle to stay undefeated in the weight class.