Conor McGregor predicts easy night for Ian Garry, breaks down entire UFC 298 PPV card: ‘Volk will get hurt early’

All eyes will be watching UFC 298’s stacked card later this evening (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and this happens to include former UFC double champion, Conor McGregor.

UFC 298 is one of the most star-studded cards to start the year for the promotion. Led by a Featherweight title fight between current division champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and undefeated Spanish contender, Ilia Topuria, the event is expected to draw some serious attention. That’s because the main event is backed by a collection of premier Octagon matchups, including Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal, and Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili.

On Saturday, McGregor addressed the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) card, offering some predictions for the fights. As expected, “Notorious” is siding with his fellow Irishman in Garry, who he believes will finish Neal in the first round. McGregor is also banking on a breakout performance from Topuria, but thinks Volkanovski will still come back from early trouble to defend his title.

Checkout McGregor’s official predictions below:

Awesome night of @ufc fights tonight! Garry is going to run thru Geoff in the first round. Volk will get hurt early but come back and KO illia. Over in 2 rounds. Costa and Whittaker will have a good 3 round exchange as will Merab and Henry. Have a good evening everyone and remember, Proper Whiskey, Forged Irish Stout, and McGregor rule the roost, baby!

All in all, these are some pretty reasonable predictions from McGregor. Not only does Topuria have the power and explosiveness to hurt Volkanovski early, but Volkanovski has the durability and cardio to make “Matador” pay in the later rounds. Garry — who is favored to win — will have a shot to finish Neal in the first round assuming the fight stays on the feet. As for Whittaker vs. Costa and Cejudo vs. Dvalishvili, both those fights have a chance of going the distance.

What do you think, Maniacs? How will McGregor’s official UFC 298 predictions hold up later tonight?

LIVE! Watch UFC 298 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, for the first time in more than two years with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) show. In the ESPN+-streamed PPV main event, reigning Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, will defend his 145-pound strap against undefeated surging Spanish contender, Ilia Topuria. In addition, former Middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker, will finally square off with mercurial mauler, Paulo Costa, in UFC 298’s co-feature. UFC 298 will also feature the returns of Ian Garry, Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili and so much more!

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card RIGHT HERE. It begins with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. The PPV main card start time if officially slated for 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 298 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.