Significant Stats | UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria

Key Stats: 17:40 average fight time (longest all-time among FW), +3.03 striking differential (1st all-time among FW), 57.1% significant strike accuracy (3rd all-time among FW)  

WATCH: UFC 298 Countdown | Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria

What It Means: “The Great” is as well-rounded a mixed martial artist as there is on the roster. He is sharp, efficient, powerful and fast on the feet, and he is solid defensively and offensively on the ground, showing good hustle to beat opponents to each position. He can also mix his skills smoothly. On the feet, despite his size, he fights from the outside well, using a long jab and low kicks to maintain distance. He strings together combos quickly and can pick up the adjustments he needs to make on the fly, which speaks to his high Fight IQ.

Ilia Topuria

Key Stats: 67.4% significant strike defense (3rd all-time among FW), 0.81 knockdowns per 15 minutes (6th), 1.62 submissions per 15 minutes (7th)

What It Means: Topuria is a marauding powerhouse of a fighter with lethal grappling and great physical strength. In the standup game, he mostly likes to fight from a boxing base with a high guard. His best punches are his hooks, which he throws tight and quickly. He likes to dig into the body and follow with an overhand and he carries power in both hands. Topuria is an ace grappler, as well, showing both patience in maintaining control, as well as a keen sense of when to push for a submission.

WATCH: Ilia Topuria Sits Down With Jon Anik | UFC 298

What to Look For in the Fight: While Volkanovski is adept at fighting forward and backward, he might be best served pushing the pace and pressure on Topuria, who hasn’t had as much experience going the full five rounds in a back-and-forth affair. Volkanovski’s distance management and speed will be important in frustrating Topuria, but Topuria also has the ability to change the fight in a blink with one of his punches. If the fight hits the ground, he can work quickly and find a submission on Volkanovski despite the Australian’s well-documented grit and defense on the ground.

Co-Main Event: Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa

Robert Whittaker

Key Stats: 7 knockdowns landed (2nd), +1.33 striking differential (10th), 39% takedown accuracy

WATCH: Robert Whittaker Fight Week Interview | UFC 298

What It Means: Whittaker is a slick striker on the feet with a fast jab, effective low kicks and a nice rear high kick that he likes to string at the end of a combination of punches. He is light on his feet and does well to counter his opponent, either with strikes or with his wrestling.

Paulo Costa

Key Stats: 6.49 strikes landed per minute (1st all-time among MW), 59.4% significant strike accuracy (3rd all-time among MW), 0.99 knockdowns per 15 minutes (3rd)

What It Means: “The Eraser” is a tank of an all-action fighter. The Brazilian marches forward, stays in his opponent’s face and presses the action, almost asking for a slugfest. Costa doesn’t just headhunt, however. When he is locked in, Costa utilizes his footwork to keep his opponent along the fence, and he will dig to his foe’s body with both punches and kicks. A lot of Costa’s best work is done when he’s not hunting for the single shot, but rather using a high pace to melt his opponent.

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What to Look For in the Fight: Generally, Costa will always start the fight moving forward and getting into the opposition’s grill. Whittaker has the lateral movement and speed to circle away, get back to the center and find success from the outside, but that’s not to say the former champion won’t stand his ground and slug it out with his opponent. That said, Whittaker does possess a better-tested grappling game that he can use to stifle Costa’s pressure, and that also adds to his striking game. Whittaker has shown a bit more consistency late into fights, but given Costa’s two years out of the Octagon, it’s unsure whether he will feel any impact in the late stages of the fight.

Other Fights to Watch (Geoff Neal vs Ian Machado Garry, Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo)

Geoff Neal

Key Stats: 0.92 knockdowns per 15 minutes (4th), 5.22 strikes landed per minute, 5.6 strikes absorbed per minute

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What It Means: “Handz of Steel” is a knockout artist of a southpaw, but he has improved every side of his game, including setting up that power shot more efficiently. Neal is athletic, utilizing smart footwork and good lateral movement to line up his left hand, which carries great power even when just thrown as a straight shot. Neal also uses his kicks to the body and head. The Texas native likes to exchange in the pocket, trusting his power.

Ian Machado Garry

Key Stats: 56.7% significant strike accuracy (2nd all-time among WW), 6.67 strikes landed per minute (4th all-time among WW), +3.09 striking differential

What It Means: “The Future” is a quick, sharp striker who prides himself on a high Fight IQ that allows him to evolve with a fight and maintain the advantage. Machado Garry has shown the ability to adjust well to his opponent and get reads as he provides a steady diet of feints and actual combinations. He has a good rear kick that he lands to the body and head, and almost all of his work on the feet is done with a purpose to set something up down the line in the fight.

MMA COACHES TALK UFC 298: Main Event

What to Look For in the Fight: This southpaw (Neal) vs orthodox (Machado Garry) matchup should play out in a fascinating way on the feet. Machado Garry likely has the speed advantage, and he should be able to use that in the form of making himself a hard target to hit with the intention of pulling Neal into a counter. However, Neal likely has the better one-shot power and certainly carries more knockout ability than anyone the Irishman has faced to this point of his career. How Machado Garry can adjust to Neal’s tendencies is something to watch, as is Neal’s ability to use his footwork to corral Machado Garry before landing his left hand.

Merab Dvalishvili

Key Stats: 74 takedowns (tied 4th all-time), 38.7% control time percentage (3rd), 6.55 takedowns per 15 minutes

WATCH: Merab Dvalishvili Hopes His Hard Work Inspires Others | UFC 298

What It Means: Few fighters live up to a moniker the way Dvalishvili lives up to “The Machine.” He is an exhaustive fighter who can strike but ultimately wants to shoot for a takedown and wear his opponent out over the course of a fight. He does well to string together his takedown attempts either after an initial shot or after feeding a few strikes up top to his opponent. He shows great hustle and grit in grappling positions, often outworking his foe over the course of a fight.

Henry Cejudo

Key Stats: 2.07 takedowns per 15 minutes, 34% takedown accuracy, 83% takedown defense

What It Means: “Triple C” is an accomplished, Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, but he is also a fighter who prides himself most highly on his competitiveness and Fight IQ. He is a good striker with fast and powerful hands, and he has found a way of darting in and out of range that works well for his ability and physicality. He also uses knees with great effectiveness. Cejudo and his team often facilitate a strong gameplan, and he likes to intake information and evolve his approach over the course of a fight.  

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What to Look For in the Fight: Dvalishvili does not know any other way to fight other than to press the action and take the fight to his opponent, so it is almost certain that Cejudo will have to deal with pressure and multiple takedown attempts from the Georgian. Where Cejudo decides to provide his own pressure will be interesting. He has good counter wrestling and defensive grappling, and he is a bit cleaner on the feet than Dvalishvili, so it’ll be key to watch the scrambles and in-between moments to see where either fighter can perhaps catch the other in a mistake.