UFC 298
| UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | February 17, 2024 | |||
| Venue | Honda Center | |||
| City | Anaheim, California, United States | |||
| Attendance | 18,186[1] | |||
| Total gate | $7,264,734[1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, United States.[2]
Background
[edit]The event marked the promotion's tenth visit to Anaheim and first since UFC 270 in January 2022.[2]
A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between current champion Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria headlined the event.[3] This bout was originally expected to headline UFC 297 one month prior but was pushed back after Volkanovski was pulled to face UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.[4][5]
A light heavyweight bout between Zhang Mingyang and Brendson Ribeiro was originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez.[6] However, the bout was postponed due to the event's change of location and fighters facing visa issues and it was rescheduled to take place this event.[7][8]
A middleweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) Robert Whittaker and former title challenger Paulo Costa took place at the event.[9] The pair was previously expected to headline UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum in April 2021, but Costa withdrew due to illness.[10] They were also expected to meet at UFC 284 in February 2023, but Costa disputed the official announcement by the promotion indicating he had never signed a contract and the fight would not take place.[11][12][13]
A welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry and Geoff Neal took place at the event.[14] They were previously booked for UFC 292 in August 2023, but Neal withdrew due to undisclosed health reasons.[15] They were also scheduled for UFC 299 but were moved to this event for unknown reasons.[16]
A welterweight bout between Yusaku Kinoshita and Danny Barlow was scheduled for the event.[17] However, Kinoshita was removed from event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Josh Quinlan.[18]
A heavyweight bout between Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura was scheduled for this event.[19] However, the bout was moved to headline at UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura on March 16.[20]
A women's strawweight bout between former UFC Women's Strawweight Championship challenger Amanda Lemos and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia strawweight winner Tatiana Suarez was scheduled for the event.[21] However, Suarez withdrew from the event due to injury and was replaced by Mackenzie Dern.[22]
Road to UFC Season 1 bantamweight winner Rinya Nakamura was scheduled to face Brady Hiestand in a bantamweight bout.[23] However, Hiestand pulled out due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Carlos Vera, who had previously competed on Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter the year prior.[24]
A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez and Ikram Aliskerov was expected to take place at the event.[25] However, Aliskerov withdrew due to compilations related to an illness and was replaced by Roman Kopylov.[26] The pair was originally expected to take place at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 the year prior after Kopylov served as a replacement to Hernandez's original opponent Chris Curtis, but Hernandez pulled out of the event and the bout never materialized.[27][28]
Tresean Gore was expected to face A.J. Dobson in a middleweight bout at the event.[29] However on February 7, Gore pulled out due to a shoulder injury and the bout was scrapped.[30][31]
A heavyweight bout between Justin Tafa and Marcos Rogério de Lima was expected to take place at the event.[32] However, Tafa withdrew the day before the event due to injury.[33] He was replaced by his brother Junior Tafa.[34]
During the event's broadcast, former PRIDE Middleweight Champion and 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion (also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger) Wanderlei Silva was announced as the next "pioneer wing" UFC Hall of Fame inductee during June's International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas.[35]
Results
[edit]| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Featherweight | Ilia Topuria | def. | Alexander Volkanovski (c) | KO (punch) | 2 | 3:32 | [a] |
| Middleweight | Robert Whittaker | def. | Paulo Costa | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Ian Machado Garry | def. | Geoff Neal | Decision (split) (30–27, 28–29, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Bantamweight | Merab Dvalishvili | def. | Henry Cejudo | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Middleweight | Anthony Hernandez | def. | Roman Kopylov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 3:23 | |
| Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+) | |||||||
| Women's Strawweight | Amanda Lemos | def. | Mackenzie Dern | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Heavyweight | Marcos Rogério de Lima | def. | Junior Tafa | TKO (leg kick and punches) | 2 | 1:14 | |
| Bantamweight | Rinya Nakamura | def. | Carlos Vera | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Zhang Mingyang | def. | Brendson Ribeiro | KO (punches) | 1 | 1:41 | |
| Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Welterweight | Danny Barlow | def. | Josh Quinlan | TKO (punches) | 3 | 1:18 | |
| Welterweight | Oban Elliott | def. | Val Woodburn | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Flyweight | Miranda Maverick | def. | Andrea Lee | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
- ^ For the UFC Featherweight Championship.
Bonus awards
[edit]The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[37]
- Fight of the Night: Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern
- Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria, Anthony Hernandez, and Zhang Mingyang
Reported payout
[edit]The following is the reported payout to the fighters as released by the California State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[38]
- Ilia Topuria: $350,000 (no win bonus) def. Alexander Volkanovski: $750,000
- Robert Whittaker: $400,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) vs. Paulo Costa: $250,000
- Ian Machado Garry: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus) def. Geoff Neal: $108,000
- Merab Dvalishvili: $210,000 (includes $105,000 win bonus) def. Henry Cejudo: $150,000
- Anthony Hernandez: $132,000 (includes $66,000 win bonus) def. Roman Kopylov: $80,000
- Amanda Lemos: $160,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus) def. Mackenzie Dern: $200,000
- Marcos Rogério de Lima: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Junior Tafa: $23,000
- Rinya Nakamura: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus) def. Carlos Vera: $12,000
- Zhang Mingyang: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Brendson Ribeiro: $10,000
- Danny Barlow: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Josh Quinlan: $12,000
- Oban Elliott: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Val Woodburn: $15,000
- Miranda Maverick: $150,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus) def. Andrea Lee: $70,000
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mike Bohn (2024-02-18). "UFC 298 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria makes history with title coronation". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- ^ a b Mike Bohn (2023-11-23). "UFC 298 official for Anaheim on Feb. 17 with Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria headliner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ Rhiannon Walker (2023-11-07). "UFC's Dana White announces upcoming title bouts for UFC 297, UFC 298 and UFC 299". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Damon Martin (2023-10-10). "Charles Oliveira out; Alexander Volkanovski now faces Islam Makhachev in UFC 294 main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ Jeff Cain (2023-10-09). "Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria set for UFC 297". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Mathew Riddle (2023-09-16). "UFC returns to China for December event & schedules barnburner fight". si.com. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ News Desk (2023-11-16). "UFC Shanghai on Dec 9 shifted to Las Vegas, 5 bouts canceled". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
- ^ News Desk (2023-11-21). "Brendson Ribeiro vs Zhang Mingyang reported for UFC 298 PPV". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2023-12-21). "UFC 298 adds Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa in middleweight contender clash". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2021-03-16). "Paulo Costa ill, unable to fight Robert Whittaker at April 17 UFC event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Damon Martin (2022-10-20). "Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa booked for UFC 284 in Australia". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ Nolan King (2022-12-19). "'They should stop being petty': Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker reportedly off the table for UFC 284". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ Nolan King (2022-12-19). "Robert Whittaker confirms he won't remain on UFC 284: 'This is very upsetting'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2023-12-21). "Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal shifted from Miami to UFC 298 in Anaheim". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2023-08-09). "Geoff Neal out of UFC 292 fight vs. Ian Machado Garry in Boston". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ Danny Segura (2023-12-17). "After UFC 296 withdrawal, Ian Machado Garry gets booking against Geoff Neal at UFC 299". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ News Desk (2023-11-15). "Danny Barlow vs Yusaku Kinoshita reported for UFC 298 PPV". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ Nolan King (2024-01-08). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 1-7)". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ Mike Heck (2023-12-12). "Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura set for UFC 298". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (2024-01-12). "Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura moved from UFC 298 to March UFC Fight Night headliner". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ Curtis Calhoun (2023-12-12). "Tatiana Suarez's return booked for UFC 298, opponent revealed". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
- ^ Newswire (2024-01-16). "Tatiana Suarez out of UFC 298, Mackenzie Dern now faces Amanda Lemos". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ Staff (2023-12-19). "Rinya Nakamura faces Brady Hiestand at UFC 298". asianmma.com. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ Nolan King (2024-01-20). "Rinya Nakamura gets new UFC 298 opponent: TUF 31 alum Carlos Vera". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
- ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (2023-12-01). "Anthony Hernandez vs. Ikram Aliskerov set for UFC 298". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Mike Heck (2024-01-21). "With Ikram Aliskerov out, Anthony Hernandez now meets Roman Kopylov at UFC 298". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (2023-08-15). "Roman Kopylov replaces Chris Curtis, fights Anthony Hernandez at Noche UFC". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (2023-08-23). "Anthony Hernandez out of UFC Noche, Josh Fremd steps in to fight Roman Kopylov". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Nolan King (2024-01-01). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 25-Dec. 31)". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Nolan King (2024-02-07). "'Gutted' Tresean Gore out of UFC 298 due to shoulder injury". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Damon Martin (2024-02-13). "UFC 298 loses prelim fight due to injury, card moves forward with 12 bouts". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2023-11-23). "Justin Tafa vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima added to UFC 298". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn (2024-02-16). "Injury knocks Justin Tafa out of UFC 298 fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima on weigh-in day". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Nolan King and Mike Bohn (2024-02-16). "Junior Tafa steps into UFC 298 matchup on one day's notice after brother injured". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2024-02-17). "Former PRIDE champ Wanderlei Silva joins 2024 UFC Hall of Fame class". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ Dan Hiergesell (2024-02-18). "Bonuses! Ilia Topuria cleans up, banks $50K for title fight KO - UFC 298". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- ^ Simon Samano (2024-02-18). "UFC 298 salaries: Alexander Volkanovski leads 13 fighters with six-figure payouts". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
