The Honda Centre in Anaheim, California is the venue for UFC 298: Volankovski vs Topuria and the event is live in the UK on TNT Sports, with the main card getting underway at 01:00 AM ahead of the main event Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria at 04:20 AM.
Our UFC 298 predictions include picks for the top three fights on the bill, unbeaten Irishman Ian Machado Garry vs Geoff Neal, Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa and the featherweight title showpiece between Volkanovski and Topuria
UFC 298 betting tips
Neal vs Garry – at least three rounds @ 1/1
Whittaker to beat Costa on points @ 5/4
Volkanovski to beat Topuria @ 5/6
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Unbeaten Irishman will need time to make superior striking count
Ian Garry is a comfortable 4/9 favourite to extend his 13-fight unbeaten MMA career with victory over opponent Geoff Neal, who has sustained three of his five career losses inside his last five bouts.
That favouritism doesn’t translate to huge confidence that the Irishman will defeat his opponent inside the distance thought – he’s 3/1 to win by KO/TKO and 13/2 to win by enforcing submission.
Garry has taken seven of his 13 MMA scalps via KO/TKO versus only one tap out success. However, he’s been taken the distance three times in six fights since stepping up into UFC.
Neal may not be in the finest of form of late, but he has been stopped with strikes just once in his 20-fight MMA career and has yet to taste defeat by that method in 10 UFC fights. Even money about the fight lasting at least three rounds looks like good value as a result.
Our pick: Neal vs Garry – at least three rounds @ 1/1
Vettori form-line suggests the Reaper could outlast seldom seen KO artist
Former UFC middleweight boss Robert Whittaker was beaten all ends up by now middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290, so it can only follow that the fact that he’s 2/5 to beat Paulo Costa is chiefly an unforgiving assessment of his opponent.
Costa is 14-2 in MMA and has stopped 11 of his victims, but both those career losses have occurred inside the last three outings of an increasingly sporadic career in the Octagon. Borrachina has fought just three times in the 2020s and lasted turned out in 2022.
Whittaker by comparison has racked up seven skirmishes since the turn of 2020 and fought Du Plessis seven months back. He is expected to beat his ring rusty foe having gained a decision win over Marvin Vettori two fights back. The same opponent beat Costa on points back in 2021.
The heavy favourite’s last six UFC wins have all come by way of decision and 5/4 about another victory by the same method makes plenty of sense.
Our pick: Whittaker to beat Costa on points @ 5/4
‘The Great’ to prove doubters wrong by handing Topuria maiden ‘L’
Reigning UFC featherweight champion and future hall of famer Alexander Volkanovski finds himself a marginal 10/11 underdog against the up-and-coming Ilia Topuria, who has won all 14 of his MMA fights (six in UFC).
This is a bad case of recency bias that needs to be exploited. ‘The Great’ has lost two of his last three fights, having previously amassed a 22-unbeaten run in MMA.
However, both losses came against UFC lightweight boss Islam Makhachev (25 wins in 26 career fights). The first was close a decision call, the second a first-round KO forgiven for the Australian having taken the bout on 10 days’ notice following an injury to Charles Oliveira.
Back in the featherweight sphere ,Volkanovski can prove he’s nowhere near ready to lose again against a rival who, though yet to taste defeat, has never faced anyone close to Makhachev or Volkanovski’s calibre.
Our pick: Volkanovski to beat Topuria @ 5/6
