UFC 298 goes down this weekend live from Anaheim, California and is stacked from top to bottom. Headlining the fight card is a featherweight banger between long-time 145lbs champion, Alexander Volkanovski and the brash, undefeated Ilia Topuria. The co-main event sees former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker look to bounce back from a loss last time out as he clashes with the always dangerous, Paulo Costa.
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Former two-weight world champion, Henry Cejudo features on the card as he meets the in-form contender, Merab Dvalishvili to potentially confirm the next bantamweight title challenger. Ian Garry returns after a torrid UFC 296 fight week to be re-scheduled against Geoff Neal, looking to remain undefeated.
Elsewhere, Mackenzie Dern returns in an attempt to bounce back from her most recent disappointing loss against Amanda Lemos, who herself is looking to get back in the win column.
We give you our best bets for this blockbuster card along with some predictions.
We've got a STACKED card this Saturday at #UFC298!!
🏆 Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria
💥 Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa
👊 Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo pic.twitter.com/nWcoeZf4bd— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 12, 2024
UFC 298 Best Bets
Alexander Volkanovski Outright
Is he done at the top level? He’s had two losses out of three! He’s too old! Has his chin gone after the Islam Makhachev knockout? As the great Roy Jones Jr once said, “You’ll must have forgot”! The Great returns after suffering two losses in three fights but it’s worth noting, none of these were at his natural hunting ground, featherweight.
He’ll enter this bout with Topuria more motivated than ever before and it’s worth remembering just how dominant he was before moving up in weight. A 13-fight UFC featherweight run has seen him defeat some of the best the division has ever seen. Former champions, interim champions and top contenders of varying styles, Volkanovski has seen it all.
Although Topuria is a live dog in the fight, Volkanovski’s experience at the very top level will simply be too much for the undefeated 27-year-old. He’s solid, well-rounded and full of confidence, however, has never faced anyone at the level of the champ.
AND STILL is the best bet here, more than likely by a five-round decision.
Merab Dvalishvili via Unanimous Decision
The Machine is possibly the most fitting nickname in all of MMA for Dvalishvili. He’s just that, a machine. His relentless pressure, forward momentum, gas tank and willingness to take shots to get his hands on his opponents make him a truly exciting watch.
Last time out he utterly dominated former champion, Petr Yan in a way that we’ve never seen before. For his opponent, Henry Cejudo, it was a rough last outing. He returned after a ‘retirement’ to challenge for the belt, however, Dvalishvili’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling got the better of ‘Triple C’ on that occasion.
Despite an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, Cejudo could struggle in the grappling realm of this fight. The Georgian averages an insane 6.55 takedowns per 15 minutes, landing 11 against Yan last time out. Triple C’s takedown defence is 83%, however, last time out was taken down four times, the statistic which arguably lost him the fight. Dvalishvili will likely be the bigger man in the Octagon on fight night, aiding him in the grappling.
It’s worth noting that the former champion is not only coming off an injury but also has hinted at potentially retiring (again) if he were to lose this weekend. Has he got one foot out of the door for the second time in his career? Is he getting memories of what it’s like to hang them up? Not a good sign for fans of Cejudo. On top of this, he’s dropped his long-time coach, so who knows how this will play out on Saturday night.
Dvalishvili via unanimous decision after a wrestling-heavy performance.
Amanda Lemos via KO/TKO
Former title challenger, Amanda Lemos returns to action in an attempt to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to the champ, Zhang Weili last time out. Prior to that, however, she was on a string of two victories, both via finish. She’s picked up eight career victories via knockout and it’s a good bet to suggest she’ll do it again in California.
Standing across from her is Mackenzie Dern, a woman who herself is coming off a big loss last time out. Her fourth career loss marked her first finish loss, however, it was one of the more dominant performances that we’ve seen in recent times. Her stand-up game looked dreadful, arguably as a result of her split from Jason Parillo. She looked sloppy and was largely embarrassed by the heavy hands of Jessica Andrade.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Jessica Andrade of Brazil defeats Mackenzie Dern by TKO in a strawweight fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Simply put, if Lemos can keep this one on the feet, she wins the fight. How easy will that be? The history suggests fairly straight forwards. She was preparing for the wrestling phenom, Tatiana Suarez, a woman with elite wrestling. Dern doesn’t possess that. Further, it was only in November that Dern put in a career-worst performance on the feet. How much can she really learn in such a small space of time?
Expect Lemos to get back to winning ways in under 15 minutes in this one.
