On Saturday night, the Honda Center is the place to be for an epic UFC 298. The main UFC Betting event is the featherweight title bout between defending champion Alexander Volkanovski and #3 ranked challenger Ilia Topuria. Additionally, there are three other ranked matchups on the loaded main card. In the Middleweight class, #3 Robert Whittaker takes on #6 Paulo Costa. From the welterweight ranks is #8 Geoff Neal against #10 Ian Machado Garry. #2 Merab Dvalishvili meets #3 Henry Cejudo in the bantamweight class. And then #14 Anthony Hernadez takes on Roman Kopylov in a middleweight matchup.
UFC 298 Volkanovski vs. Topuria Main Card
| Date and Time: | Saturday, February 17, 2024, 9 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Honda Center, Anaheim, CA |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN+ |
Featherweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alexander Volkanovski | -112 |
| Ilia Topuria | -108 |
Alexander Volkanovski has a career online betting record of 26-3. In contrast, Ilia Topuria stands at 14-0 for his career.
Of great concern is that Alexander Volkanovski dropped two of his most recent three bouts. Volkanovski is coming off a 1st round knockout loss to Islam Makhachev on October 21, 2023. That fight was for the UFC lightweight championship. Previously, on July 8, 2023, Volkanovski beat Yair Rodriguez in a 3rd round technical knockout. Volkanovski defended his UFC featherweight championship. And then, on February 12, 2023, Volkanovski lost a unanimous decision to Islam Makhachev. The fight was for the UFC lightweight championship.
At the beginning of his championship reign, Volkanovski won a unanimous decision against Max Holloway on December 14, 2019. He has successfully defended his title six times.
Ilia Topuria has never lost in 14 bouts to climb to third in the UFC featherweight rankings. Last time out, Topuria won a unanimous decision against Josh Emmett on June 24, 2023.
Middleweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Robert Whittaker | -205 |
| Paulo Costa | +170 |
Overall, Robert Whitaker has a career record of 25-7. Paulo Costa stands at 14-2 for his career.
Of course, Robert Whittaker is best known as the former UFC middleweight champion. Whittaker is coming off two losses in his last three bouts. On July 8, 2023, Whittaker lost a technical knockout to Dricus du Plessis. The bout was a UFC middleweight title eliminator. On September 3, 2022, Whittaker won a unanimous decision against Marvin Vettori on September 3, 2022. And then on February 12, 2022, Whittaker won a unanimous decision against Israel Adesanya. That bout was for the UFC middleweight championship.
In like manner, Paulo Costa is coming off two losses in his last three bouts. Including a 2nd round technical knockout loss to Israel Adesanya on September 27, 2020, for the UFC middleweight championship.
Welterweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Geoff Neal | +200 |
| Ian Machado Garry | -245 |
Geoff Neal brings a career record of 15-5 to the octagon. By contrast, Ian Machado Garry has a career UFC Betting odds mark of 13-0.
Bantamweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Merab Dvalishvili | -198 |
| Henry Cejudo | +164 |
In sum, Merab Dvalishvili has a career record of 16-4. Henry Cejudo brings a career mark of 16-3 to the octagon.
Middleweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Anthony Hernandez | TBD |
| Roman Kopylov | TBD |
Anthony Hernandez stands at 11-2 for his career. And then Roman Kopylov brings a career mark of 12-2 to his matchup.
UFC 298 SBG Free Picks
On this occasion, Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker have the more impressive bodies of work and reasonable prices.
UFC 298 SBG Best Bets: Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker