UFC 298 Predictions: MMA Pros’ Picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria Featherweight Title Fight

Adarsh Ojha
|Published

This week, fight fans in Anaheim are in for a treat at the Honda Center with an exciting UFC 298, PPV event lined up. But the fight that will be the highlight of the night is the featherweight title bout, where long-standing champion Alexander Volkanovski takes on the undefeated Ilia Topuria. The hype is real, given the Spanish star started filming his journey to the title and confidently declaring himself as the champion on Instagram. With Volkanovski’s perfect record in this division, anything could happen. 

UFC 298: MMA Pros Predictions For Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria 

Here’s what MMA Pros predicted sharing their thoughts to James Lynch on his YouTube channel:

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal, who is also fighting on the same card against Ian Garry, stated that he’ll always be on Volkanovski’s side until he retires when asked about who he thinks will win.

Neal Magny

Neal Magny stated that despite Volkanovski’s last fight against Islam Makhachev, where his lights went off, he now believes that with full-time preparation, Volkanovski will retain his belt at UFC 298.

Randy Brown

Although Volk is surely a favorite to win the fight, it’s not like no one sees Topuria as the winner. Talking about the ‘El Matador’ winning, Randy Brown stated that he sees the Spanish fighter becoming the new champion. 

Trey Ogden

Trey Ogden, who has not tasted victory in his last two fights, talking about the fight, stated that if Volk hadn’t lost to Makhachev, he would surely go with him. But now that he has been defeated, according to him, Topuria has a solid chance.

Jan Błachowicz, Ben Askren, Paul Craig, Yadong Song, and Others

Paul Craig, Jan Błachowicz, Yadong Song, and Brian Kelleher, when asked about their predictions, shared one-word replies expressing their thoughts. They unanimously stated that the current featherweight champion is unstoppable at 145lbs. Meanwhile, Askren added that he wouldn’t be surprised if Topuria gets the win.

Eric Nicksick -Sean Strickland’s coach

While the fighters have shared their thoughts about the fight, it will be interesting to see what the coach is thinking. Sean Strickland’s coach, Eric Nicksick, shared his thoughts, stating that while he leans towards Volkanovski, he thinks that the last knockout can also be a factor in this fight. Not just that, he stated, Topuria is also a real deal in this fight.




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About the author

Adarsh Ojha

Adarsh Ojha

Adarsh Ojha, a combat sports writer at The SportsRush, has authored over 2300 articles in his two-year career, primarily focusing on combat sports. Despite his initial passion for cricket, combat sports has become his newfound love. He follows various sports in general. A devoted fan of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Conor McGregor, Ojha also engages in other creative pursuits. Thanks to Anurag Kashyap, Javed Akhtar, and David Fincher, he is a lyricist, musician, and film writer.

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