Tag: UFC 298

Video: Discussing UFC’s 2024 tantalizing trio of title tilts

Did the UFC get it right with its first series of title matchups slated for the first quarter of 2024? Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses.

The UFC has already announced three title fights to kick off the first quarter of 2024.

Starting things off in January, UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada will be headlined by a middleweight championship fight between champ [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]. The fight will be Strickland’s first title defense after taking it from Israel Adesanya in a dominant display at UFC 293. Du Plessis is coming off a stoppage of former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 and has won his last eight fights.

The following month, at a location and venue yet to be announced, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] returns to featherweight to defend his title against an undefeated challenger in [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]. Volkanovski is back to his division after a short-notice rematch against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. Topuria topped Josh Emmett in their main event tilt in June.

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In March, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s first bantamweight title defense will be a rematch against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]. O’Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling to become champion at UFC 292. Vera is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz in August. “Sugar” and “Chito” first met at UFC 252 in 2020, where Vera won by TKO in the first round.

Did the promotion get these matchups right, or should these champions be facing other contenders? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that question with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode on YouTube below.

Why Aljamain Sterling likes Ilia Topuria’s chances vs. Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298

Aljamain Sterling worries about Alexander Volkanovski’s quick turnaround against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] worries about UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s quick turnaround vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] at UFC 298.

After suffering a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev last month, Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will make less than a four-month turnaround to defend his featherweight title against unbeaten Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the Feb. 17 headliner.

Having experienced a clean knockout loss before, Sterling advises Volkanovski to take more time off to recover. He sees a fight against a knockout artist like Topuria as a dangerous move.

“If he does make the walk for February, the way it sits right now, I do think we’re going to see an upset,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I hate to say it because it makes it seem like I’m going against Volkanovski, I’m doubting Volkanovski, but I’m not. What I’m saying is given the situation, I think now is the time for a hard-hitter, boxer who can actually grapple but just doesn’t grapple in Topuria, to get a guy like Volkanovski.

“He puts together better punching combinations. Volkanovski’s more pot shot here, here, here, and it’s like an accumulative damage that he does and then eventually he finds the finishing touches. But Topuria, when he hits you, he puts everything into those punches, into those body shots. I think if Volkanovski’s not the sharpest that he can be, which would have been before taking that Islam fight … but now I’m liking Topuria’s chances, and I have to lean on the side of the contender in this one.”

Volkanovski is widely considered as one of the greatest featherweights of all time. “The Great” has defended his title five times – twice against Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sun Jung, and most recently Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

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

Alexander Volkanovski: Ilia Topuria well-rounded, but needs humbling at UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski will look to shut down Ilia Topuria’s hype at UFC 298.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] will look to shut down [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s hype at UFC 298.

Five-time defending featherweight champion Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) takes on unbeaten Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the Feb. 17 headliner.

Volkanovski acknowledges the threat Topuria brings, but is ready to remind everyone why he is the king of the division.

“He’s a powerful dude. He’s good everywhere,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “He’s not one-dimensional. He’s obviously very well-rounded. I just believe my skills and my understanding of the game is just going to be that little bit too much for him. He’s a young, hungry dude – undefeated, very, very confident – but I think he needs a little bit of humbling, so I’m glad to be the man to do that.”

Volkanovski was initially adamant that he could fight Topuria at UFC 297 on Jan. 20. But coming off a knockout loss this past October to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski thought pushing the fight back was the wise thing to do.

“We just thought that would be a little bit too soon,” Volkanovski said. “We want to follow all protocols and do everything right, obviously, after the last one and I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me who have dealt with a lot of concussions through football.

“I’ve got the right team around me and we just thought that January was too soon. I was lucky enough to have the UFC and the guys there make that happen and move things around for me, which I’m grateful for, and I think the timing will be perfect.”

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

UFC 298 official for Feb. 17 with Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria headliner

Alexander Volkanovski’s title fight vs. Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 officially has a date.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s title fight vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] at UFC 298 has a date.

Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will look to notch his sixth title defense when he takes on unbeaten Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on Feb. 17, the UFC announced Wednesday morning. A location and venue weren’t mentioned.

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Volkanovski will return to featherweight after falling short against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev a second time at UFC 294. With a full training camp, Volkanovski took Makhachev to the brink in their first fight at UFC 284, but he stepped in on less than two weeks’ notice for a second opportunity last month in Abu Dhabi. Volkanovski lost the rematch by first-round knockout.

In between his lightweight title fights against Makhachev, Volkanovski finished Yair Rodriguez by third-round TKO to retain his 145-pound title at UFC 290 this past July.

Topuria has looked dominant since joining the UFC roster in 2020. After four straight finishes over Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, and Bryce Mitchell, the Georgian fighter dominated Josh Emmett in the UFC on ABC 5 main event to earn his third bonus in a row.

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