MMA
UFC 298: Featherweight has a new champion, Topuria shut down Volkanovski. The gala offered 5 finishes. A look at the highlights
The world’s biggest MMA organization offered a stunning numbered gala at UFC 298 on Saturday night. We were treated to one title fight and several attractive bouts. The entire main card was properly entertaining. What did the tournament look like?
The world’s biggest MMA organization offered a stunning numbered gala at UFC 298 on Saturday night. We were treated to one title fight and several attractive bouts. The entire main card was properly entertaining. What did the tournament look like?
Early Prelims and Prelims UFC 298
It wasn’t until the third fight that the first finish was offered
The UFC 298 gala, held in Anaheim, California, opened with a women’s bout featuring Andrea Lee (13-8) and Miranda Maverick (12-5).
The first two rounds were dominated by the favored Maverick, but the third one was quite even. The 26-year-old American, however, managed to bring the battle to a victorious end and is enjoying her second win in a row.
Oban Elliott (9-2) gave a dominant performance afterwards, taking on Val Woodburn (7-1) on points without much trouble. The former fighter made a successful debut after defeating Kaiko Brito in a UFC contract fight.
The first finish was awaited until the third fight, where the previously undefeated Danny Barlow (7-0) defeated Josh Quinlan (6-1) by TKO in the third round. He couldn’t have asked for a better debut.
We didn’t have to wait long for another finish
UFC fans saw another finish in the very next fight. China’s Zhang Mingyang (16-6) confirmed his role as the favorite and made it through his bout with Brendon Ribeiro (15-5).
At 1:41 of the first round, he landed a terrific left hook to send his rival to the ground. It was his debut in the organization. He couldn’t have done better.
It was the biggest favorite on the entire card, Rinya Nakamura (8-0), who waged an interesting three-round war with Carlos Vera (11-3). The Ecuadorian held up better than expected against his Japanese opponent, yet lost on points.
Marcos Rogerio De Lima (21-9-1) delivered the final stoppage on the prelims card, kicking the leg of Junior Tafa (5-1). The latter, by the way, took the fight on short notice when he filled in for his brother Justin.
He tried, but his opponent’s experience showed in the battle of the heavyweights. It was also noticeable who had full preparation behind him. The Brazilian won the second round in 1:14 after a dominant performance.
The second and final women’s bout on the UFC 298 card was delivered by Amanda Lemos (13-3-1) and Mackenzie Dern (13-4). The Brazilian fighter was the favorite and should have had the upper hand in all aspects.
Lemos was coming off a title fight defeat, while Dern, on the other hand, was looking to get back on a winning streak, alternating defeats with wins lately, most recently falling to Jessica Andrade.
Now against the Brazilian, the American hopeful resisted more than expected, even managing to make the match very uncomfortable for her opponent at times, but lost the three-round match on unanimous points. Moreover, she could be glad that she survived the crazy onslaught and series of punches in the second round.
UFC 298 main card
The UFC offered its first submission on the main card
The main card of the gala promised an interesting spectacle right out of the gate, as Anthony Hernandez (11-2) and Roman Kopylov (12-2) faced off. Both were riding a four-fight win streak. So one had to come to an end.
Hernandez went into the fight as the favorite, but he wasn’t going to have an easy time of it. Kopylov is a finishing machine, having won 11 of his 12 wins by KO/TKO. The American has finished 10 of his 12 fights before the limit, but he specializes more in submissions, which he has eight.
So it was obvious who would have what gameplan. It was expected that Hernandez would try to take the fight to the ground when he could, looking to catch Kopylov with just a submission. The Russian was attentive for a long time, defended well, and had the upper hand in the standup.
But the American has achieved his goal. In the second round, he took his opponent’s back. Kopylov still survived the first choke attempt, but Hernandez had already managed the second rear-naked choke flawlessly and forced his rival to tap out.
Dvalishvili earned the most valuable scalp of his career
One of the main draws, a bantamweight duel. Moreover, Henry Cejudo (16-3) is one of the most successful fighters in history, which made the test ahead of Merab Dvalishvili (16-4) all the greater.
The win meant a lot to both of them. A win was equal to the opportunity to claim the title. After the first round, things looked better for the former two-time UFC champion, he boxed better, as well as did very well on the ground. For the first time in a long time, we saw the Georgian on his back.
But from the second round on, the tide of the fight turned. Dvalishvili began to gradually dismantle Cejudo. He was much more active, more accurate, tougher in his stance. Moreover, he tormented the American with unpleasant wrestling, creating constant pressure.
Cejudo gradually began to go out of shape, slowing down. His opponent, for a change, kept proving why he was proud of the nickname Machine. He actively checked out the third round and won on points. All the judges saw him win 29-28.
The highlight of the fight was when Dvalishvili took the Olympic gold medalist in wrestling on his shoulder, carrying him across the cage to eventually throw him to the ground.
After the win, the Georgian hunk asked for a title shot. The belt is now held by Sean O’Malley, but he has his first defense against Marlon Vera.
The controversial Irishman remains undefeated
Fighting for another move up the welterweight rankings was Ian Machado Garry (13-0), a not very popular fighter but one to be taken seriously. His confident statements and his brashness may seem over the top, but with his record he has every right to be.
He’s going step by step, so far the 26-year-old Irishman hasn’t gone anywhere. Now he was to be tested by Geoff Neal (15-5), an eight welter. You could tell this was his toughest opponent yet. The Irish fighter looked calm throughout the fight, but it can’t be said that he put on a convincing performance.
Especially in the first and second round Neal was his equal opponent. He landed good shots, tried to tie up the fight, and was the one who pressured on the canvas. Garry was backing up a lot, struggling a lot from the retreat, but he was combining his kicks well and interspersing them with hard punches. He scored decent points in the match.
He was the better man in the third round, however that was the only round where he really had a significant advantage. The result? Two judges saw him win all three rounds, one scoring judge saw Neal win 29-28.
After the win, the Irish prospect challenged Colby Covington. But the question is whether that’s too much of a mouthful.
The former UFC champion made his case for a title fight with his performance
The main prelims of the UFC 298 gala catered to former champion Robert Whittaker (24-7) and former challenger Paulo Costa (14-2). It was expected to be an attractive battle and expectations were met, perhaps even exceeded.
The Australian was expected to have multiple paths to victory, with the Brazilian only able to threaten with hard shots. That’s also why the first Australian champion in the UFC was seen as the favourite. He confirmed his role, however, not so easily.
Whittaker was better, more accurate, more active in all three rounds. He landed more significant strikes, combined well, kicked well. Costa had his bright moments as well. The brightest was at the end of the first round when he hit the Australian with a great spinning kick and made him dance.
If it hadn’t been for the end of the round, the Brazilian might have won. But you can’t play the ifs. Costa did his best to win, but Whittaker was simply faster and made the fight. But the duel certainly didn’t disappoint. A three round stand-up battle, many beautiful moments, exchanges. I liked that. A lot.
Interestingly, with two judges mentioning the spinning kick, Costa took the first round for himself. One judge didn’t. Whittaker deservedly won on points, and he’d definitely like to get his hands on the title again.
Volkanovski down, Topuria the new king
The featherweight title was contested in the main event between longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) and brash challenger Ilia Topuria (14-0). One of the best fighters in the division’s history has ruled the UFC since December 2019, missing out on a single title fight win to match Jose Aldo’s number of defenses.
The Australian and the Georgian, who also represents Spain, were still having a lot of fun at the press conference on Friday. Volkanovski was buttering up the brash man who was sending him into retirement. He wanted to teach him a lesson in the match, only it didn’t work.
The first round showed that we’re in for a battle that can be decided by a single mistake. Topuria was kicking well, but Volkanovski was landing good shots from the retreat, he was a bit more active, he was landing more punches. But the five minutes were even.
But in the second round the Australian lost for the first time at featherweight. Topuria caught him with a long, hard combination and sent him into dreamland. He became the first Georgian and Spaniard in one person to win the title. He was born in Germany, by the way, so he can also be considered the first German to reach for a title in the UFC.
Source: UFC, Twitter
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