UFC 298 Predictions and Betting Tips: Best bets for main card in California
The second UFC pay-per-view event of 2024 sees pound-for-pound great Alexander Volkanovski and No.1 featherweight contender Ilia Topuria headline a salivating card in Anaheim, California.
Also featured is a middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, controversial welterweight Ian Garry returns to action, while fans will be eagerly anticipating the technical duel in the bantamweight division between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo.
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UFC 298 Tips
Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo - Merab Dvalishvili To Win By Decision
Merab is a nightmare matchup for former bantamweight champion Cejudo. The Georgian mixed martial artist, aptly named The Machine, has unrivalled cardio, and will bring a lot of power, volume and chaos to this weekend's fight - the antithesis of Triple C's measured approach.
Being over three rounds is likely to suit him too, with more opportunity to be explosive and overwhelm Cejudo without allowing his opponent much joy. Given how this is the 37-year-old's first three-round fight for over six years, there are serious question marks over his gameplan coming into this one.
Dvalishvili is a completely different fighter from what the American has faced in a long time and considering how Henry Cejudo lost via this method to teammate and close friend of Merab's, former champion Aljamain Sterling, it stands to reason that the No.2 ranked bantamweight is going to be far more effective at point scoring in this bout.
Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry - Ian Garry To Win By Decision
Neal pushed Shavkat Rakhmonov to his limits last time out, but his outstanding boxing skills will be somewhat negated against an excellent close range sniper like Ian Garry. The Future's timing is going to create a lot of problems for his welterweight counterpart has suffered three of his five UFC losses in the last five fights.
Garry is in the spotlight, partially for the wrong reasons, but there's a feeling that he thrives in the positive or negative energy circling his name. Neal is a UFC veteran with enough experience of fighting prospects, however, none of those up-and-comers carry themselves with the same level of calculation as Ian.
The 26-year-old Irishman can leave himself exposed in firefights, which this fight is certain to be, but we see his 60% striking accuracy and that youthful confidence being enough to see his hand being raised after 15 bloody minutes.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria - Alexander Volkanovski To Win By Decision
Alexander The Great is entering this latest featherweight title defence after a potentially career-altering KO loss to Islam Makhachev at 155lbs. Pair that with the record of UFC fighters aged 35+ in title fights for the flyweight-welterweight divisions of 2-28 and there's a strong case to build for Topuria. However, we won't be doing that.
Volk is about as well-rounded as they come and if this comes down to a slow tit-for-tat type of bout then this longer this plays out, the better it is for the reigning champion. Topuria is a real anomaly in this division and by no means should he be underestimated in this fight. That being said, he is yet to feel the kind of pace that a fighter like Volk can put on you.
This fight is likely to be won and lost in the championship rounds, and with the Australian's insane cardio and five-round experience, we see this being just a stretch too far for the latest featherweight challenger.
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