UFC 298 Preview and Predictions
The UFC schedule is about to heat up with a few stacked pay-per-view events. That begins with UFC 298. Despite featuring a stacked main card, the event is receiving less recognition than other upcoming UFC events. The main event is one of the best fights the UFC can book, several former champions compete, and an elite prospect takes a step up in competition. It is all you can ask from a UFC pay-per-view. Let’s shine some light on this outstanding event.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC 298 main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 11-9
Garrett: 9-11
Anthony: 7-13
Jerry: 9-11
No. 14 Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC 298 main card begins with a middleweight bout between Anthony Hernandez and Roman Kopylov. Hernandez and Kopylov are both rising fighters who are riding four-fight win streaks. The winner of this fight will earn a step up in competition.
Hernandez is a relentless grappler with outstanding cardio. In fights, his typical strategy is to attempt takedowns early and initial a ton of scrambles. Hernandez is great at making fighters grapple with him. This makes it difficult for his opponents to properly manage their cardio. Plus, he finds ways to chip away at their cardio. That is accomplished when he makes fighters work to their feet before landing a mat return. If he has a fighter grounded, he throws ground-and-pound to the body. Lastly, his front chokes are outstanding and he is elite at chaining submissions.
In comparison to Herandez, Kopylov is the polar opposite. Kopylov is a striker who looks to use his quick hands a kicks to deal out damage. At his best, he sits at distances and fires his lighting quick leg kick from the southpaw stance. That allows him to set up head kicks as well.
I am siding with Hernandez in the UFC 298 main card opener. Kopylov will be live to land a knockout early in this fight, but Hernandez will have a massive grappling edge. If he gets his grappling going he should be able to quickly tire Kopylov and take over. I will Hernandez by second-round submission.
Garrett: Hernandez via decision
Jerry: Kopylov via KO/TKO
Anthony: Hernandez via submission
No. 2 Merab Dvalishvili vs. No. 3 Henry Cejudo- Bantamweight Bout
James: The quality of the UFC 298 main card is on display with the bout. The second fight of the main card features elite bantamweights Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. This bout is a championship-caliber fight despite the belt not being on the line. Dvalishvili is on an impressive nine-fight win streak that has seen him take out a pair of former champions. In this fight, he is looking to add a third former champion to his resume. Cejudo is looking to make a final run at the bantamweight title. In his last fight, he came out short against Aljamain Sterling. Although, the former two-division champion is certainly still one of the best fighters alive. This bout will be crucial as the winner will put themselves in a great spot to fight for a title in the near future.
Dvalishvili deserves his nickname of “The Machine”. The amount of pace and pressure that he can put on an opponent is absurd. Dvalishvili is fully capable of spending three rounds spamming takedowns while throwing serious striking volume. That creates a unique dynamic as his grappling and striking volume can confuse opponents and create holes in their defense. On top of that, opponents gas out defending themselves. That combination allows Dvalishvili to find a ton of success.
Cejudo is an Olympic goal medalist wrestler who has successfully adjusted his game to MMA Cejduo has an outstanding wrestling background, impactful striking, impressive cardio, notable durability, and top-teir fight IQ. That is a lot of traits that you want in an elite fighter. In different fights, he can bend those skills to adjust to fight the perfect style to find victory.
This is UFC 298 bout is a great matchup. The grappling exchanges in this fight should be fast-paced and highly competitive. From a stylistic standpoint, Cejudo can provide Dvalishvili issues. First, Cejudo’s stance and movement should limit Dvalishvili’s ability to combine strikes and takedowns. Additionally, Cejudo is a great open mat wrestler who should be able to defend takedowns. That said, he needs to do damage between Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts.
I could make a case for both fighters winning this bout. Dvalishvili’s pure output makes him a nightmare to fight; however, I believe Cejudo could flip the script and take Dvalishvili down. If he can do that, he gets his control time and prevents Dvalishvili from being offensive. That said, I cannot pick a fighter when he has to follow a specific game plan and his opponent has more room for error. I will take Dvalishvili by decision.
Garrett: Cejudo via decision
Jerry: Dvalishvili via decision
Anthony: Cejudo via decision
No. 8 Geoff Neal vs. No. 10 Ian Machado Garry- Welterweight Bout
James: The UFC 298 feature bout is a welterweight fight between Geoff Neal and Ian Machado Garry. This bout is significant to the landscape of the welterweight division. This is the perfect fight for Machado Garry. At this point in his career, he has a ton of potential and is one of the biggest hype trains in the sport. A win over a respected fighter like Neal would help his stock skyrocket. That is not an easy task, however. Neal has shown elite skills at various points in his career and presents danger in striking exchanges.
Neal is a serious boxer with a lot of power in his hands. In the pocket, Neal does a great job of using his jab to set up his left hand. If that left hand lands, it does damage. Furthermore, he can punish his opponents with counterhooks. If he finds his flow state and controls distance, Neal can dish out vicious beatings.
Machado Garry is a long striker who is great at managing distance and using his length to land shots. That is best seen in his kicking game. From a distance, Machado Garry is an active kicker who takes his weapons to all three levels.
This UFC 298 preview favors Machado Garry. That said, he will need to fight with his head and not his ego. In the past, Neal has struggled against fighters with long weapons. That is a serious issue in this fight. If Machado Garry, is diligent at fighting from the outside he should win this fight. Neal could present serious issues in a boxing-oriented fight, he should have problems. If he is in the pocket, he needs to get in and get out. If he hangs around for too long Neal could land heavy shots. On a positive note for Machado Garry, he has shown that he will minimize risk and take the easier path to victory. I expect that to continue in this fight. I will take Machado Garry by decision.
Garrett: Machado Garry via decision
Jerry: Machado Garry via KO/TKO
Anthony: Neal via KO/TKO
No. 3 Robert Whittaker vs. No. 6 Paulo Costa- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC co-main event features a middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. This is an exciting bout because both fighters are entertaining and find themselves at interesting points in their career. Whittaker, a former champion, is coming off a knockout loss to Dricus Du Plessis. That defeat was his first middleweight loss to a fighter aside from Israel Adesanya. On the other hand, Costa is a former title challenger who has fought infrequently. In the few times he has fought, his bouts have been filled with strange circumstances. That combination makes this a bout that has a decent amount of questions.
Whittaker is a highly technical striker with great movement. On the outside, he is quick and uses his footwork to bounce in and out of range. That style serves him well because he has a lightning-quick jab. Plus, he attacks his opponent’s leg to limit their movement. Once he has his jab established, he can add a straight or head kick behind it. That series has helped him land a lot of big strikes.
Costa is a kickboxer who hits like a truck. At his peak, he walks opponents down and hits them with big shots. Typically, that style has flaws, but Costa makes it work because he has a lot of different weapons. If he is throwing boxing combinations, he has a ton of power, but he is also willing to dig into the body. That helps him wear down opponents and create opportunities to land headshots. At the same time, he throws massive kicks. If he backs his opponent to the fence, Costa is great at using kicks to cut off their exits. It should also be noted that he kicks so hard that he does damage even if his opponent is blocking his kicks.
It is tough to predict a winner in this fight because Whittaker’s durability is worth questioning at this stage in his career and Costa has been fairly inconsistent. From an entertainment perspective, fans should hope that these two enter the cage at the top of their game because it would result in a great fight.
In my opinion, two outcomes are fairly possible. On one hand, Whittaker could use his elite movement skills to manage range, land his jab, and keep his back off the fence. That is his best path to victory. Alternatively, Costa could be reckless and create heavy exchanges. That would benefit him because of his power and ability to land in the pocket. If Whittaker’s durability is truly a concern, that would allow Costa to land a knockout. I lean toward Whittaker’s path to victory being the more common of the two because we have evidence of him using that game plan to find success while Costa has struggled against fighters that can successfully use their speed and footwork. I will take Whittaker by decision.
Garrett: Whittaker via submission
Jerry: Whittaker via decision
Anthony: Whittaker via decision
(C) Alexander Volkanovski vs. No. 3 Ilia Topuria- Featherweight Bout
James: The UFC 298 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria is one of the best fights that the UFC can book. Volkanovski is one of the best fighters on the planet and is sporting an undefeated featherweight record. The only flaws in his UFC run have come at lightweight against Islam Makhachev. From a historical perspective, Volkanovski sits with five title defenses. That puts him two defenses away from Jose Aldo’s divisional record. To get one step closer to that record, he will have to go through Topuria. That is not an easy task. At 14-0, the 27-year-old has proven to be an elite fighter with serious skills.
This matchup is particularly interesting because Volkanovski and Topuria have a good amount of similarities. That begins with height. Typically, both of these fighters are shorter than their opponents, but they are fairly equal in this matchup. Topuria will have an inch advantage as he stands at 5’7” compared to Volkanovski at 5’6. In terms of skills, both fighters are boxers who supplement their hands with leg kicks. Plus, both fighters are elite counterpunchers.
In addition to the aforementioned skills, Volkanovski has outstanding feints, sets up shots, and mixes weapons well. Volkanovski is also a physical fighter with great cardio. In clinch exchanges, he pushes opponents around and lands impactful shots. At the same time, he has great cardio that allows him to push the pace for five rounds. It should be noted that Volkanovski has elite fight IQ, creates strong game plans, and makes adjustments mid-fight.
Topuria’s skills are mostly centered around his boxing. It is rare to see him throw anything outside boxing combinations and leg kicks. Although, those weapons are elite and lead him to victories. Topuria is also an underrated grappler who has demonstrated elite defensive grappling and strong offensive submissions.
The preview for the UFC 298 main event could go in several directions. This fight will likely come down to strength against strength. Volkanovski and Topuria are both great at backing their opponents down, establishing the jab, and landing counters. The fighter that manages to maintain that strength will likely find success. Furthermore, each fighter has a few tactics that could help them pull ahead. Personally, I would like to see Volkanovski attack the leg early and often. It would also be smart to force clinch exchanges and look to land in those positions. For Topuria, his elite backward moment should be able to minimize some of Volkanovski’s combinations. In many fights, Volkanovski will throw combinations while moving forward. That will be difficult to accomplish against Topuria.
In the search for differentiating factors, several trends push me toward Topuria. That begins with age. Topuria is 27 and Volkanovski is 35. In UFC championship fights at welterweight and below, fighters 35 and older are 2-21, per MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter. That heavily favors Topuria. At the same time, he already has an edge in power and durability. Let’s also consider that Volkanovski was brutally knocked out four months ago. Suddenly, there are a lot of red flags on the Volkanovski side of things.
Ultimately, I think this is a razor-close fight between two outstanding fighters. This bout should feature some of the best boxing exchanges in recent memory. In a close fight, I will lean toward the younger fighter who has few reasons for concern. I will take Topuria by third-round knockout.
Garrett: Volkanovski via decision
Jerry: Volkanovski via decision
Anthony: Topuria via knockout
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