Unfortunately, yet again I was not able to make any fight predictions for UFC 298! However, regardless I still will be recapping UFC 298 for you so that you know what went down throughout the night. The card for UFC 298 was absolutely incredible featuring many top caliber fighters. We got to see some fun matchups and entertaining fights and I hope they can keep this going because Dana White has been absolutely cooking on the cards as of recently.
In the opening fight of the night Anthony Hernandez clashed with Roman Kopylov. Hernandez showcased his elite striking early, peppering Kopylov with a barrage of kicks and punches and overall dictating the pace of the fight. However, Kopylov was able to counterattack this with some powerful shots of his own. But in the end it was not enough as Hernandez secured the victory with a submission 3 minutes and 32 second into the second round.
The next fight we had was between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo, Throughout the fight, Dvalishvili’s unyielding pressure seemed to dictate the pace, as he unstoppably pursued Cejudo with a barrage of strikes and takedown attempts. Despite Cejudo’s high caliber defense Dvalishvili managed to find openings, landing combinations and securing takedowns. As the rounds went on the momentum swung back and forth, with both fighters showcasing their championship abilities. In the end however, Dvalishvili’s relentless cardio earned him a hard-fought unanimous decision victory and in my opinion the next shot at the bantamweight title.
The third fight was between up and coming contender Ian Garry and Geoff Neal. In an extremely close matchup Geoff Neal seemed to set the pace in the first round out striking Garry with his relentless attack. However, the precision striking of Garry started to pick up as he caught Neal with some phenomenal knees and calculated strikes. In the end of this back and forth fight, the undefeated Ian Garry secured the win by split decision keeping his streak and even more solidly solidifying himself in the Welterweight division.
The Co-main event of the night was a thrilling bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Costa came into this fight retuning from an extended break as the last card he fought on was UFC 278. Robert Whittaker was coming off of a loss to now champion Driscus Du Plessis. In a close standup brawl between the two fighters it looked as if it could go any way. At the end of the first round Whittaker ate a huge head kick from Costa that looked like it should have knocked him unconscious. However, Whittaker’s superior striking ability showed as he significantly out struck Costa securing the victory.
In the highly anticipated main event Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria squared off for the featherweight championship. The undefeated fighter from Georgia (The Country) in Topuria was highly anticipated in this matchup and for good reason. Volkanovski set the pace quick and seemed to be winning the fight until three minutes and thirty two seconds into the second round, when a near perfect combo from Topuria struck the chin of Volkanovski knocking him out and starting the Topuria championship reign.
