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In the main event of UFC 298 tonight, Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria.
Volkanovski has been dominant at 145lbs and is seeking his sixth successful title defence, having stopped Yair Rodriguez in July, but that victory was sandwiched between two defeats at lightweight. In February, the Australian was outpointed by 155lbs champion Islam Makhachev, who knocked out Volkanovski in their October rematch.
• See all The Independent’s UFC 298 betting tips
That brutal result, which came after Volkanovski stepped in on short notice, has some fans fearing for the 35-year-old as he fights a younger, powerful and well-rounded challenger tonight. The unbeaten Topuria, 27, has 12 finishes from 14 wins, and the Georgian – who fights out of Spain – enters UFC 298 on the back of a dominant decision against Josh Emmett in June.
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker faces ex-title challenger Paulo Costa. Whittaker is out to bounce back from July’s shock TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis, who has since won the belt, while Costa last fought 18 months ago, outpointing former champion Luke Rockhold in a scrappy affair.
Follow live updates and results from the UFC 298 main card and prelims, below.
UFC 298 LIVE
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Alexander Volkanovski defends featherweight belt vs Ilia Topuria in main event
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Volkanovski lost last fight with early KO against lightweight king Islam Makhachev in October
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Australian is perfect at featherweight, however, as he makes sixth title defence
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Topuria is unbeaten at 14-0 and has divided fans with arrogant approach this week
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Georgian-Spaniard last fought in June, outpointing Josh Emmett with ease
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Other key fights: Whittaker vs Costa, Garry vs Neal, Cejudo vs Dvalishvili
UFC 298 LIVE: Rinya Nakamura vs Carlos Vera
01:29 , Alex Pattle
Next up, Rinya Nakamura vs Carlos Vera at bantamweight!
UFC 298 LIVE: Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro
01:19 , Alex Pattle
Round one
Both men stand orthodox. A clean right cross gets through for Ribeiro, echoing throughout the arena.
More crisp, straight punches for the Brazilian now. An overhand whizzes by Zhang’s head.
OH!!! Out of nowhere, Zhang floors Ribeiro with a right hook then a left!
The Chinese fighter seals a TKO with hammer fists! His 100 per cent finish record stays intact!
Wowwww, what a start to the regular prelims.
Zhang Mingyang def. Brendson Ribeiro via first-round KO (strikes, 1:41)
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
01:11 , Alex Pattle
Our round-by-round updates start now, as Zhang Mingyang faces Brendson Ribeiro at light-heavyweight!
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
01:04 , Alex Pattle
Okay, everyone, here are the early-prelim results from UFC 298!
Danny Barlow def. Josh Quinlan via third-round TKO (1:18)
Oban Elliott def. Val Woodburn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Miranda Maverick def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Wales’ Oban Elliott with a successful UFC debut after an early knockdown scare!
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
00:55 , Alex Pattle
The regular prelims are just minutes away!
We’ll give you a round-up of the early-prelim results very shortly, and begin our round-by-round fight updates.
Don’t go anywhere.
UFC 298 LIVE: Exclusive interview with PFL boss on Francis Ngannou
00:50 , Alex Pattle
And here is an exclusive interview from this week, when Indy Sport spoke to PFL chairman and founder Donn Davis about Francis Ngannou’s debut in the promotion:
PFL chairman offers update on Francis Ngannou’s MMA future amid boxing success
UFC 298 LIVE: Michael ‘Venom’ Page interview
00:42 , Alex Pattle
UFC 299 is right around the corner, set to take place just three weeks from tonight.
Ahead of that stacked card, Indy Sport interviewed Michael “Venom” Page yesterday, as the former Bellator star previewed his UFC debut and reflected on sparring with welterweight king Leon Edwards.
London fighter Page is due to face Kevin Holland at UFC 299.
MVP on UFC debut versus ‘cockroach’ Kevin Holland and sparring Leon Edwards
UFC 298 LIVE: Ilia Topuria has a question for you
00:32 , Alex Pattle
And here’s a throwback interview, from when Indy Sport interviewed Topuria ahead of his win over Josh Emmett in June:
Ilia Topuria: UFC’s rising star has a question for you
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski’s bravest move ever? Talking about his mental health
00:21 , Alex Pattle
Here’s a piece from the fallout of Volkanovski’s loss to Islam Makhachev in October, when the Australian bravely discussed his mental health and how it had affected his in-ring activity:
Alexander Volkanovski’s bravest move yet? Talking about his mental health
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria betting tips
00:10 , Alex Pattle
Check out The Independent’s betting tips for UFC 298 tonight:
UFC 298 predictions: Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria betting tips, odds & free bets
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski reacts as Topuria changes social-media bio to ‘champion’ before fight
00:00 , Alex Pattle
Alexander Volkanovski has said it will be a ‘humbling experience’ for Ilia Topuria to update his social-media bio after their main event at UFC 298 tonight.
While Volkanovski has forged an impressive reign at 145lbs, the Australian faltered twice in 2023, losing to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on points in February and via knockout in October.
Those results have fed Topuria’s already-supreme confidence, which has led the Georgian-Spaniard to update his Instagram and X bios to read: “UFC World Champion. Undefeated 15-0.” Topuria, 27, is in fact 14-0 with 12 stoppage wins.
Here’s what Volkanovski had to say about that:
Volkanovski reacts as Topuria changes social-media bio to ‘UFC champion’ before fight
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria – Indy Sport’s main-event preview
Saturday 17 February 2024 23:45 , Alex Pattle
When Alexander Volkanovski enters the Octagon tonight, an environment where he is more at home than perhaps any fighter of his generation, he will not only battle a young, tenacious, powerful, well-rounded challenger in Ilia Topuria; the featherweight champion will duel with a statistic that has a record as dominant as his own.
In UFC title fights in every division from welterweight down to men’s and women’s flyweight, athletes aged 35 and over have a record of 4-33-1. Across those eight divisions, fighters in that age bracket have consistently failed to secure victory, with only four exceptions – courtesy of just three fighters.
Volkanovski has already succumbed to the statistical curse in question… but can he overcome it tonight?
Read our main-event preview below:
Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, and the UFC’s devastating ‘curse’
UFC 298 LIVE: Robert Whittaker faces Paulo Costa in co-main event
Saturday 17 February 2024 23:36 , Alex Pattle
Can former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker bounce back from his surprising loss to Dricus Du Plessis?
Whittaker was beaten by Du Plessis via TKO in July, before the latter went on to win the middleweight belt in January.
Whittaker’s only other defeats in recent years had come against divisional great Israel Adesanya – in 2019 and 2022 – and the Australian has produced masterclasses against most other opponents.
Tonight, he will try to produce another clinic against Brazil’s Costa, a former title challenger at 185lbs. This fight was due to take place months ago, but Costa withdrew and argued that the bout was never actually signed.
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
Saturday 17 February 2024 23:26 , Alex Pattle
Here is tonight’s card in full, subject to any last-minute changes:
Main card
Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs Ilia Topuria (featherweight title)
Robert Whittaker vs Paul Costa (middleweight)
Geoff Neal vs Ian Machado Garry (welterweight)
Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo (bantamweight)
Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov (middleweight)
Prelims
Amanda Lemos vs Mackenzie Dern (women’s strawweight)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs Todd Duffee (heavyweight)
Rinya Nakamura vs Carlos Vera (bantamweight)
Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro (light-heavyweight)
Early prelims
Yusaku Kinoshita vs Danny Barlow (welterweight)
Oban Elliot vs Val Woodburn (welterweight)
Andrea Lee vs Miranda Maverick (women’s flyweight)
UFC 298 card in full as Volkanovski defends title against Topuria tonight
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
Saturday 17 February 2024 23:15 , Alex Pattle
In the UK, UFC 298 is airing live on TNT Sports, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ is streaming the action live. UFC Fight Pass is also streaming the early prelims and regular prelims.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
How to watch UFC 298 online and on TV tonight
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
Saturday 17 February 2024 23:05 , Alex Pattle
UFC 298 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, tonight.
The early prelims are set to begin now, with the regular prelims following at 1am GMT (6pm PT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to start at 3am GMT (8pm PT, 10pm CT, 11pm ET on Saturday).
Our round-by-round fight updates will begin with the regular prelims. Until then, we’ll be building up to those bouts.
What time does UFC 298 start tonight?
UFC 298 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Topuria
Saturday 17 February 2024 14:40 , Alex Pattle
In the main event of UFC 298 tonight, Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria.
Volkanovski has been dominant at 145lbs and is seeking his sixth successful title defence, having stopped Yair Rodriguez in July, but that victory was sandwiched between two defeats at lightweight. In February, the Australian was outpointed by 155lbs champion Islam Makhachev, who knocked out Volkanovski in their October rematch.
That brutal result, which came after Volkanovski stepped in on short notice, has some fans fearing for the 35-year-old as he fights a younger, powerful and well-rounded challenger tonight. The unbeaten Topuria, 27, has 12 finishes from 14 wins, and the Georgian – who fights out of Spain – enters UFC 298 on the back of a dominant decision against Josh Emmett in June.
In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker faces ex-title challenger Paulo Costa. Whittaker is out to bounce back from July’s shock TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis, who has since won the belt, while Costa last fought 18 months ago, outpointing former champion Luke Rockhold in a scrappy affair.
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