UFC 298 results: Matches to make for ‘Volkanovski vs. Topuria’ main card winners

UFC 298 went down last night (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., featuring a Featherweight title fight that saw Ilia Topuria knockout Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to become the promotion’s new Featherweight champion (watch highlights). In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker out-classed a game Paulo Costa en route to a unanimous decision win (recap here).

Winner: Alexander Ilia Topuria
Who He Should Face Next: Movsar Evloev

If Volkanovski takes an extended break following his loss to Topuria, an immediate rematch may not be in order. Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega are ranked No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, but the winner of their fight next weekend at UFC Mexico City will just be getting back into the win column, so they need another win or two to get into the championship picture. As for Evloev, he has been putting in work and remains perfect at 18-0, which includes going 8-0 inside the Octagon. His most recent dominant win over Arnold Allen showed just what kind of toughness and grit he will bring to the new champion, so he should be Topuria’s first challenge.

Winner: Robert Whittaker
Who He Should Face Next: Khamzat Chimaev

This one is tricky because the moment Israel Adesanya decides to return he will get the next shot at the 185-pound strap that is currently in the hands of Dricus Du Plessis. Jared Cannonier is currently on the mend from an ACL tear so he will be out of action for quite some time. That brings us to Chimaev. “Borz” has been pining for his chance to prove his worth of fighting for a UFC world title, and a win over Whittaker would get him there. Chimaev is currently sitting idle because of Ramadan, so he will be ready to compete in late spring. As for Whittaker, he is firmly still a threat to win the title and will be coming in super confident following his dominant performance against Costa.

Winner: Merab Dvalishvili
Who He Should Face Next: O’Malley vs. Vera winner

This one is a no-brainer. Dvalishvilli has been in line for a title fight for some time now, and now that he has a win over Cejudo, it is time to give him what is rightfully his. Sean O’Malley is set to defend his belt against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299 next month, so if the winner of that title fight comes out injury-free, we can expect them to defend sometime in the summer or in early fall.

Winner: Ian Machado Garry
Who He Should Face Next: Sean Brady

After remaining perfect (4-0, 7-0 UFC) following his big win over Geoff Neal, Garry is in prime position to move up several spots in the rankings. He was in line to face Vicente Luque once before an illness removed him from the event, but it is unlikely that Garry will want to re-visit that booking if he moves ahead of Luque in the rankings. Garry also called for a showdown against Colby Covington, but I am not feeling that matchup just yet. I prefer a fight against Brady — who is currently sitting in the No. 6 spot — for Garry his next outing.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Anthony Hernandez
Who He Should Face Next: Ikram Aliskerov

Hernandez notched his fifth straight win in Anaheim, submitting Roman Kopylov in the second round via rear-naked choke (see it here). He now has four of five wins via stoppage, and he is getting closer to getting that ever-elusive rankings spot. He was supposed to face Aliskerov on this card before an illness forced the sambo specialist out of the event. With Aliskerov on a seven-fight win streak and Hernandez on an impressive run of his own, it only makes sense to re-book this fight as soon as possible.

For complete UFC 298 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.