UFC 298 was a fantastic event, showcasing plenty of fights that fans have wanted to see for a while, and this fight card was very highly anticipated. The night belonged to Ilia Topuria, but the show offered up other entertaining bouts. In this article, we’ll take a look at the results of the event, grades for each fight, and some final thoughts.
Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov
The night started strong with a Middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Roman Kopylov. Kopylov was the replacement for Ikram Aliskerov, who wasn’t able to take the fight due to an infection.
Both fighters showed their strengths early and were able to get some good hits in, but the first round was rather even. Kopylov fought well but wasn’t able to overcome Hernandez’s strength and ultimately ended up losing in the second round via submission.
Grade: B-
Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo
In what was one of the best fights of the night, the following fight was a Bantamweight tilt between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. Cejudo came out flying in the first round and was easily the winner coming out with a 10-9 lead heading into the second round, but it was all Dvalishvili after that.
Dvalishvili would go on to win a unanimous decision when all three judges scored the contest 29-28. It was easy to realize how outworked Cejudo was when Dvalishvili picked him up, walked him around the octagon, and tossed him over in front of Mark Zuckerberg, all while trash-talking the entire time. If it wasn’t the best fight of the night, it was the most entertaining.
Grade: B+
Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry
The third fight on the main card saw a Welterweight matchup between Geoff Neal and Ian Garry. This fight wasn’t great, as neither fighter seemed to be working as hard as they could’ve been, weren’t throwing any hard punches or kicks, and overall it was a pretty boring fight. Garry ended up remaining undefeated as the fight lasted all three rounds and the judges gave him the win.
Grade: D-
Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa
The Co-Main Event was a highly anticipated fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. Costa came out flying and was landing good shots early in the fight, but Whittaker was able to fight back for the remainder of it. Costa was having some issues as his legs started to swell but was able to pick up a massive head kick at the end of round one to pick up a 10-9 head start.
Whittaker continued pounding on the injured leg of Costa, and unfortunately for Costa, he was never able to take advantage of Whittaker’s bloodied nose and chin. Whittaker came away with a unanimous decision victory, as two judges scored the contest 29-28, while one, surprisingly, scored it 30-27.
Grade: B-
Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria
The main event of UFC 298 was one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2024. Alexander Volkanovski, widely considered one of the best fighters on the planet, defended his Featherweight championship against the undefeated Ilia Topuria. Round one was a great round for both fighters, and it seemed to be split down the middle for who ended up winning it, but it didn’t matter.
Topuria poured on the attack in the second round, eventually landing a massive right-hand after a flurry of punches that dropped Volkanovski, and won him the Featherweight championship. While the fight didn’t last the full five rounds, it was still an impressive showing from both fighters, who will likely run it back another time, giving Volk a chance at redemption.
Grade: A-
Final Thoughts
UFC 298 was a great pay-per-view event overall. The card had a ton of hype leading up to it and other than the Neal vs Garry fight, it lived up to it. Dvalishvili will likely earn a title shot down the line after his impressive performance, and he’ll be watching the upcoming Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera fight very closely. Overall, a great event. UFC 299, which is on March 9th, 2024, is hyping up to be an even better show.
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