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Can Ilia Topuria dethrone Alexander ‘The Great?’
One of the best matchups you can make at featherweight will go down this weekend at UFC 298, as pound-for-pound third-ranked fighter and current featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski will take on undefeated Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski will be trying to extend his 1,500-day reign even further, putting his title on the line for the sixth time since earning it in 2019.
Saturday will be Volkanovski’s return to featherweight after a second unsuccessful excursion up at lightweight. In an attempt at becoming a two-division champion, Volkanovski lost a short-notice title fight to Islam Makhachev late last year via first-round stoppage. This was his second time facing the lightweight champ, as he previously lost a unanimous decision in February 2023 as well. After not having the best 2023 – at least in comparison to his previous years of absolute dominance in the UFC – Volkanovski will have the chance to score a big win back at 145 pounds.
Topuria is in a title position after stringing together six UFC wins since 2020. He is coming off a high-profile featherweight win, going five rounds against former interim title challenger Josh Emmett for a unanimous decision victory last year. Before then, he handed Bryce Mitchell his first loss and scored stoppages over Jai Herbert and Damon Jackson. While Topuria has numerous impressive victories on his record, nothing is as big as the matchup he is booked for this weekend.
If you want round-by-round updates as the main event fight takes place, keep an eye on this article. The story will be updated frequently during the bout, providing you with details and insight about the matchup as it goes down.
UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria live play-by-play
Round 1
Volkanovski tried for a head kick in the opening seconds. He landed a kick to the body just a few moments later. Topuria threw his first strike just under a minute in, trying for a right cross. Volkanovski threw a few more kicks, going after the legs and body of Topuria. Topuria was advancing and getting Volkanovski to back up but not throwing too much yet. Topuria landed a hard leg kick in the second minute, another following a few seconds after.
The slow output from both to start showed that they were ready for a long day at the office. Topuria continued to land his leg kicks. Topuria landed a right cross at the end of a combination that looked good. Volkanovski threw another kick to the body and scored a shot to the lead leg. Volkanovski went into a body lock for a few seconds in the final minute. Topuria came forward with a few punches but Volkanovski did a great job to evade. Slow, methodical round to start, but a really close one as well. I’m scoring this for Topuria, 10-9.
Round 2
Similar to the first round, Topuria was backing Volkanovski up to begin the second round. A right hand followed up by a left hook from Topuria seemingly connected a minute into the second round. Volkanovski flicked out his jab and touched Topuria a couple of times halfway through the round. There is still a presence of kicks in this round, although it seems like it’s less than the opening five minutes.
Topuria was starting to show damage on his nose from strikes. Topuria came forward with a series of hooks, connecting with a right hook that absolutely flattened Volkanovski and knocked him out. The fight went from a slow, strategic pace to a sudden finish just like that. You have a new UFC Featherweight Champion!
Official Decision
Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via KO (right hook) at 3:32 in Round 2: UFC Featherweight Championship
UFC 298 Quick Results
UFC 298 Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)
- Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski via KO (right hook) at 3:32 in Round 2: UFC Featherweight Championship
- Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa via unanimous decision: Middleweight
- Ian Machado Garry def. Geoff Neal via unanimous decision: Welterweight
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
- Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:23 in Round 2: Middleweight
UFC 298 Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPN & ESPN+)
- Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern via unanimous decision: Strawweight
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Junior Tafa via TKO (leg kicks) at 1:14 in Round 2: Heavyweight
- Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
- Zhang Mingyang def. Brendson Riberio via TKO (punches) at 1:41 in Round 3: Light Heavyweight
UFC 298 Early Prelims (6:30 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass)
- Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan via TKO (punches) at 1:18 in Round 3: Welterweight
- Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn via unanimous decision: Welterweight
- Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision: Flyweight
UFC 298: Live stream, start time, where to watch
UFC 298’s main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET, available via pay-per-view on ESPN+. The top half of the prelims can be viewed at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, along with ESPN’s main TV channel. The early prelims will take place at 6:30 p.m. ET, with online services ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass carrying the portion of the card.
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