SUMMARY
- UFC 298 will see the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski taking on Ilia Topuria in the main event.
- This will be Volkanovski's sixth featherweight title defense.
UFC 298 takes place on February 17, 2024. The second UFC PPV takes place inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In the main event, the two-time lightweight title contender and the current featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski will make his return. He will be defending the strap against rising Spanish superstar, Ilia Topuria.
At UFC 290 in July 2023, Alexander Volkanovski impressively knocked out Yair Rodriguez in the third round. His fifth successful title defense was a result of the triumph, which improved his claim to being one of the finest featherweight champions ever.
Before this, the UFC pound-for-pound #4 lost to the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in an extremely one-sided fight at UFC 294 in October 2023. While their UFC 284 fight was a close one, Islam knocked Volk out with a head kick in the rematch.
The featherweight belt is on the line this weekend! 🏆#UFC298 is happening THIS Saturday on @ESPNPlus PPV 👊 pic.twitter.com/obxkFNGyD8
— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2024
His opponent, Ilia Topuria, on the other hand, is one of the top featherweight competitors who has been on the rise and is regarded as one of the most intriguing fighters to watch. The undefeated Georgian competitor most recently defeated American fighter Josh Emmett in June of 2023 by unanimous decision. Before that particular fight, he produced a dominant victory against Bryce Mitchell and Jai Herbert.
UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria stats
Stats | Alexander Volkanovski | Ilia Topuria |
---|---|---|
Wins | 26 | 14 |
Losses | 3 | 0 |
Height | 1.68 m | 1.7 m |
Division | Featherweight | Featherweight |
Reach | 181.6 cm | 175 cm |
Age | 35 | 26 |
Volkanovski vs. Topuria: Fight breakdown and prediction
Alexander Volkanovski is the current 145lbs champion and is widely considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Topuria is a rising star in the division and is undefeated in his professional career. This might as well be Volk’s biggest challenge to date.
Volkanovski is a well-rounded fighter with excellent striking and grappling skills. He is known for his high fighting IQ and his skills to adapt to situations according to his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Whereas Topuria is a dynamic and explosive fighter known for his powerful striking. Moreover, he is a very aggressive fighter and always looks to finish his opponents. Out of his 14 wins in MMA, 12 have come via stoppage.
As per UFC Stats, Topuria lands an average of 4.44 strikes per minute. On the other hand, he absorbs 3.05 strikes at the same time as well. However, Ilia’s grappling is his stronger suit and he is currently averaging 2.19 takedowns per fight with an accuracy rate of 56%. Topuria is also averaging 1.5 submission attempts per bout and has 8 submissions in total under his belt.
Alexander Volkanovski, on the other hand, lands an obscene 6.19 strikes per minute and only observes 3.42 strikes in return. In terms of grappling, the featherweight champion is averaging 1.84 takedowns per minute with an accuracy rate of 37%. However, this may be slightly misleading as Volk’s defensive grappling is surprisingly good, which is evident from his bouts with Brian Ortega and Makhachev.