You just won the UFC Featherweight Championship! What are you going to do next? Okay so UFC 298 isn’t exactly at Disneyland but it will be at the Honda Center, bringing some of the best fighters in the world to Anaheim. And the UFC has built a stacked card headlined by a championship bout.
The former top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world will once again step into the cage to defend his title against a new challenger who has torn through the division. Plus, a former middleweight champ will face off against a perennial contender and one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars will look to continue to climb the welterweight ranks.
Welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Ian Garry
The term gatekeeper comes with a negative connotation in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, but it is still a title that needs to be earned. And Geoff Neal has accomplished that in the welterweight division. Since his debut in 2018, Neal has turned away would-be contenders like Belal Muhammad, Niko Price, Mike Perry and Santiago Ponzinibbio. Unfortunately, he has also been unable to secure that big victory that would earn him a title shot instead. All that adds up to a 15-5 record with nine knockouts. Now, he will face another fast-rising star looking to vault into the title picture.
And that star is none other than Ian Garry, who comes into this bout with a perfect 13-0 record and seven knockouts. Garry has built a reputation as the next Conor McGregor, with all the star power and the talent to back it up. His pinpoint striking makes him dangerous but his greatest weapon may be the mystique he has already managed to establish in his young career. That was on display in his most recent bout against Neil Magny, who was hesitant to engage with Garry and let the Irishman dictate the pace of their fight. If Neal allows him to do that, this will be another victory for the future star.
My pick: Garry via decision
Middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa
Some fights are made for the fans and this is one of them. A former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has been a fan-favorite for a long time, thrilling crowds with his epic fights against opponents like Yoel Romero, Ronaldo Souza and Israel Adesanya. With a 24-7 record and nine knockouts, he’s one of the most accomplished fighters in the middleweight division. He is however coming off of a loss to now middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. It will be interesting to see how Whittaker, who is now more than 30 fights into his career, bounces back from a defeat against a very high-level opponent.
Paulo Costa has been away from the sport for quite some time. His most recent fight was a victory against another former champion, Luke Rockhold, in August of 2022. Now, a year and half later, he will look to make it back-to-back wins over former champs. Costa boasts a 14-2 record with 11 knockouts. But after beginning his UFC tenure with four straight knockout victories, he has lost two of four and his two victories have gone the distance. Still, he’s a dangerous striker with dynamite in his hands. At any moment he is one punch away from a victory. But Whittaker is a tough guy to put away.
My pick: Whittaker via decision
Featherweight Championship bout: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
The UFC’s featherweight division is one of its most interesting. Longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski has been at or near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings for years and recently he’s been defending his title while also stepping away to try and capture the lightweight crown. While he has been unsuccessful in his attempts, he has been clearing out his own division. Until now.
Ilia Topuria comes into this fight a very worthy challenger for the title. He boasts a 14-0 record with eight submissions. Most recently, he is coming off of a dominant decision victory over Josh Emmett and made it clear a title shot was in his sights. He’s a powerful striker with even more dangerous submission skills and that makes him a very difficult puzzle to solve, even for one of the best fighters in UFC history.
Since entering the UFC in 2016, Volkanovski is undefeated in the featherweight division. His only two losses have come to dominant Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in two of his three most recent fights. In between, he once again defended his title against Yair Rodriguez. It remains to be seen if Volk has lost a step or if Makhachev just has his number but the smart money would be on the latter. The champ is still a world-class striker and grappler with a work ethic that is second to none. This will be a very interesting title bout, but Volkanovski’s speed advantage might just be the difference maker.
My pick: Volkanovski via decision
UFC 298 will be held Saturday, February 17 at 10 PM ET. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view through for $79.99.