UFC 298 results: Ilia Topuria KOs Alexander Volkanovski to become champion, calls out Conor McGregor

UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski was knocked unconscious by budding Spanish star Ilia Topuria.

The UFC featherweight championship is headed to Spain with a Georgian flair.

In the highly-anticipated UFC 298 main event, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] made the most of his moment on the big stage when he knocked [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] unconscious at 3:32 of Round 2 to claim title gold. The bout headlined the pay-per-view event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

A massive right hand early from Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in Round 2 sealed the deal after a closely contested opening five minutes. As Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) circled against the cage he walked directly into a left hand that shut the lights out.

Follow-up shots rained down, but weren’t necessary for the task at hand. Volkanovski laid unconscious on the canvas for a significant period of time before he rose to his feet to congratulate his opponent.

Topuria, 27, becomes the first Spanish and Georgian fighter. He’s believed by many to be a potential budding superstar for a market the UFC has not yet visited. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell even flew to Spain ahead of the bout during negotiations with Topuria.

Other notable wins for Topuria include Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell.

Volkanovski loses at featherweight for the first time in his UFC tenure. He’s suffered knockouts in back-to-back fights, having been finished by Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title challenge in October.

After the fight Saturday, Volkanovski suggested a rematch vs. Topuria in Spain.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 298 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.