UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria took place on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It was the night Ilia Topuria ended Alexander Volkanovski's 1,876-day UFC featherweight championship reign with a stunning second-round KO, becoming the UFC featherweight champion in his 15th professional MMA fight. The card produced an estimated 700,000 pay-per-view buys.
Topuria was a +180 underdog against a champion who had five consecutive title defenses, had been considered the best fighter in the world at 145 lbs, and had gone five competitive rounds with the #1 pound-for-pound lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. The right hand that dropped Volkanovski at 2:47 of round two was one of the most dramatic power finishes in featherweight championship history.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024
📍 Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California, USA
👥 Attendance: 17,174 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $8.4 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~700,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Ilia Topuria — UFC Featherweight Championship (145 lbs)
✅ Result: Topuria def. Volkanovski via KO (punches) — R2, 2:47
🥇 Co-Main: Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo via Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Bantamweight
The Build-Up
Alexander Volkanovski had held the UFC featherweight title since winning it from Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019 — 1,876 days of featherweight dominance. His five consecutive defenses (Holloway 2, Holloway 3, Korean Zombie, Ortega, Rodriguez) had been accompanied by his champ-vs-champ fight at UFC 284 and the short-notice 41-second KO loss at UFC 294. He returned to featherweight for the sixth defense against Topuria.
Ilia Topuria was 14-0 in MMA, born in Georgia and raised in Spain, a submission-and-power specialist who had gone 7-0 in the UFC with finishes of Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, and Josh Emmett. He was confident, vocal, and technically precise. Most analysts saw Volkanovski's output and durability as the decisive edge; Topuria at +180 was a significant underdog.
Main Event: Volkanovski vs. Topuria
Round one was competitive. Volkanovski used his volume striking to control the distance; Topuria pressed forward and landed clean right hands. At 3:00 of round one, Topuria landed a clean overhand right that wobbled Volkanovski briefly; the champion reset and finished the round on volume. The judges had it 10-9 Volkanovski.
Round two ended it at 2:47. Topuria pressed forward and landed a clean right hook at 2:30 that hurt Volkanovski against the cage. He pressed with body-head combinations; a right hand at 2:45 dropped Volkanovski. Two follow-up ground strikes brought referee Herb Dean in at 2:47. Ilia Topuria was the UFC featherweight champion. He was unbeaten at 15-0.
In his post-fight interview, Topuria pointed to the Georgia flag at ringside and dedicated the win to his country. He said he was ready to fight at lightweight next, calling out Islam Makhachev. Topuria defended the featherweight title against Volkanovski in the rematch at UFC 308 in October 2024 (KO R3), remaining unbeaten.
Co-Main Event: Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo
Merab Dvalishvili dominated three rounds. The Georgian bantamweight used his wrestling volume — scoring 12 takedowns across the fight — to completely neutralize Henry Cejudo's technical striking and submission game. Cejudo was taken down in every round and could not create meaningful offense from his back. Final scorecards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. It was Dvalishvili's most dominant UFC win and the launching pad for his bantamweight title shot against Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski (c) — KO (punches) — R2, 2:47 — Featherweight Title
Merab Dvalishvili def. Henry Cejudo — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Bantamweight
Robert Whittaker def. Paulo Costa — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Middleweight
Movsar Evloev def. Aljamain Sterling — Unanimous Decision (30-27 ×3) — Featherweight (Sterling's featherweight debut)
Anthony Hernandez def. Roman Kopylov — TKO (punches) — R2, 4:15 — Middleweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Mackenzie Dern def. Tecia Penna — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Strawweight
Aiemann Zahabi def. Cameron Saaiman — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Bantamweight
Andre Fialho def. Trevin Giles — KO (punches) — R2, 0:35 — Welterweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Ilia Topuria — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Merab Dvalishvili — $50,000 for the dominant 30-27 shutout of Henry Cejudo with 12 takedowns.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Anthony Hernandez — $50,000 for the second-round TKO of Roman Kopylov.
Records & Milestones
• Volkanovski's 1,876-day featherweight reign ended — the longest title reign in featherweight history.
• Topuria at 15-0 — became featherweight champion in his 15th professional fight, one of the fastest in divisional history.
• Dvalishvili's 12 takedowns vs. Cejudo — the highest takedown volume by any UFC bantamweight in 2024.
• Sterling's featherweight debut — a 30-27 loss to Evloev confirmed the division jump was unsuccessful.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 298 is remembered as the night the most dominant featherweight champion of the modern era was dethroned by a 25-year-old Georgian-Spanish power puncher who had predicted the finish with precision. Topuria had publicly guaranteed a KO of Volkanovski before the fight; he delivered in round two. The result launched the Topuria era at featherweight — he went on to defend against Volkanovski at UFC 308 (KO R3) and announced his intent to fight at lightweight.
For Volkanovski, the loss confirmed a 0-3 run in his most recent three fights (Makhachev UD at UFC 284, Makhachev KO at UFC 294, Topuria KO at UFC 298). His featherweight legacy — six title defenses, 1,876 days as champion, five-round war with the #1 pound-for-pound lightweight — stands as the most dominant featherweight run in UFC history regardless of the manner of ending.
For Merab Dvalishvili, the Cejudo win was the number-one contender statement performance that led directly to his UFC 306 bantamweight title shot against Sean O'Malley in September 2024 (UD win — Dvalishvili became the UFC bantamweight champion).
FAQ
How did Topuria finish Volkanovski?
A right hook at 2:30 of round two that landed flush on the left side of Volkanovski's jaw as the champion was moving forward. Volkanovski had been pressing into Topuria's counter range consistently; Topuria timed the right hook perfectly on the counter, using his southpaw stance to fire from an angle Volkanovski's guard did not cover. The follow-up right hand dropped Volkanovski; the ground-and-pound finish was immediate. The sequence took 17 seconds from the wobble to the stoppage.
Who is Ilia Topuria?
Ilia Topuria is a Georgian-born, Spain-raised MMA fighter born in 1997. He began training in Tbilisi before moving to Madrid, where he developed his striking under a boxing-centric coaching system. He joined the UFC in 2021 and went 7-0 with finishes of Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, and Josh Emmett before the Volkanovski title fight. His Georgian heritage and Spanish base made him a cross-cultural MMA phenomenon — celebrated across both countries simultaneously.
How does UFC 298 compare to UFC 297?
UFC 298 drew approximately 700,000 PPV buys versus UFC 297 (475,000) four weeks earlier — a 225,000-buy jump driven by Volkanovski's star power and the featherweight dynasty narrative. The Topuria upset produced one of the highest post-event discussion spikes in UFC social media history for 2024.
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