UFC 298 Preview: Volkanovski vs Topuria, Whittaker vs Costa, Neal vs Garry Headline Main Card Fights

• Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title vs. Ilia Topuria
• Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa square off in a middleweight battle
• Ian Machado Garry will lock horns with Geoff Neal in a welterweight bout

We are just a few days away from UFC 298, and excitement is building for one of the year's biggest events.

Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria will lock horns this Saturday for the UFC Featherweight Championship, while Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa face off in a mouth-watering middleweight clash.

Here’s all you need to know about the main card fights in UFC 298.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria

The much-anticipated featherweight title showdown between reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Ilia Topuria will headline the card.

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Boxing

Volkanovski has won 13 consecutive featherweight contests in the UFC, the last six of which were championship fights.

The Australian star last fought at UFC 294, where he lost for the second time to lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev, per CBS Sports.

He returns to the featherweight division to fight Topuria, who has won all 14 of his MMA fights, including a unanimous decision victory over Josh Emmett in June of last year.

Before that bout, Topuria destroyed Jai Herbert and Bryce Mitchell, cementing his status as one of the top fighters in the featherweight ranks.

Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa

The pressure is on Whittaker to get the win over Costa this coming Saturday. The former middleweight king has lost two of his last three fights, including a second-round TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis, who is now the new champion.

He will look to return to winning ways against Costa, who carries a 14-2 MMA slate.

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Boxing

"Borrachinha" has become synonymous with fight cancellations in the UFC. The Brazilian fighter has had five cancelled bouts since 2021, including a showdown with Whittaker at UFC 284.

He backed out of his last scheduled fight at UFC 294, citing an elbow infection as the reason why he didn't fight Khamzat Chimaev.

Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal

The much-awaited showdown between Machado Garry and Neal will finally take place at UFC 298. They were supposed to fight each other at UFC 292 in August of last year, but Neal backed out due to undisclosed health reasons.

Machado Garry will put his unbeaten record (13-0) on the line against Neal, who carries a 15-5 MMA slate, per USA Today.

Du Plessis calls out Adesanya

Sports Brief recently reported on Du Plessis calling out Israel Adesanya after his title win.

Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland to claim the UFC middleweight crown.

He now wants to settle the score with Adesanya in his next fight.