Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria Pick, 2/17/2024 Predictions UFC 298 Odds
Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria
UFC 298
Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Alexander Volkanovski will battle Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on Saturday, February 17, 2024. The opening line has Volkanovski coming in at -118 while Topuria is at -102.
Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski steps into the cage with a mark of 26-3-0. The 35-year-old records a weight of 145 lbs and measures 5'6". The orthodox fighter extends his reach 71". Ilia "El Matador" Topuria stands in at 5'7" and will fight at 145 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a victory to his career total of 14-0-0. The 27-year-old has a wingspan of 69". In terms of significant strikes, Alexander Volkanovski is landing 6.19 per minute while Ilia Topuria connects on 4.44 significant strikes per minute. Volkanovski lands 57% of the significant strikes he tries while Topuria connects on 46%. Concerning the fighter's defense, "The Great" absorbs 3.42 significant strikes per minute and "El Matador" absorbs 3.05. Volkanovski also curbs 58% of the significant strikes that are thrown his way while Topuria is able to thwart 67% of the strikes thrown in his direction.
When it comes to grappling, Alexander Volkanovski is the not as competent as a grappler as he takes his opponents to the canvas 1.84 times per 3 rounds. Volkanovski is scoring a takedown on 37% of the times he tries and is stopping 70% of all takedown attempts. Topuria is taking his opponents to the mat on 56% of the takedowns he tries and is defending 92% of the attempts against him. Regarding subbing opponents, Volkanovski is not as skilled of a technician by attempting 0.2 submissions per 3 rounds while Topuria looks to get 1.5 submissions per 3 rds.
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In his previous fight, Alexander Volkanovski squared up with Islam Makhachev and was on the losing end of this fight by a kick to the head in round 1. Makhachev landed 39 of 46 total strikes that he threw in that fight. Volkanovski finished this fight landing 11 of 18 total strikes. In terms of significant strikes, Makhachev ended up landing 24 of 29, which gave him a rate of 82%. He finished the fight landing 13 of 16 significant strikes aimed at the head. Statistically, Volkanovski landed 66% of his significant strikes by landing 4 of 6. Out of those significant strikes, he landed 0 of 1 to the head. 29% of the significant strikes landed by Makhachev and 75% of them landed by Volkanovski were thrown at distance.
In the last bout for Ilia Topuria, he faced off with Josh Emmett and got a win for the night via unanimous decision in round 5. Emmett connected on 100% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance while Topuria landed 75% of the significant strikes he attempted from distance. Topuria ended up connecting on 44% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 152 of 344. He ended up landing 124 of 302 significant strikes to the head. Emmett ended up landing 87 of 305 significant strikes in that battle. Looking at the significant strike accuracy, he landed 43 of 232 directed at the head. Regarding total strikes that he let go in that contest, Emmett ended up connecting on 89 of 309 and Topuria landed 171 of 365 of all the strikes he attempted.
Other fights to watch out for
Another fight to keep an eye on is when Robert Whittaker enters the Octagon against Paulo Costa. Whittaker will be looking to add a victory to his career total of 25-7-0. The 33-year-old tips the scales at 185 lbs and comes in at 6'0". The orthodox fighter has an arm span of 73". Costa measures 6'1" and will fight at 185 lbs. The orthodox fighter comes into this fight with a mark of 14-2-0. The 32-year-old extends his reach 72". When it comes to grappling, Robert Whittaker takes his opponents down 0.85 times per 3 rounds and Paulo Costa takes his opponents to the canvas 0.53 times per 15 min. When talking about striking, Whittaker lands an average of 4.47 strikes/min and is connecting on 42% of the strikes that he attempts. Joining him in the Octagon is Paulo Costa, who tags his opponent on 60% of the strikes he has tried and connects for an average of 6.50 per minute.
An additional fight that you're going to want to see is when Ian Garry is set to square up in the Octagon with Geoff Neal. Neal comes into this fight holding a mark of 15-5-0. The 33-year-old steps on the scale at 170 lbs and measures 5'11". The southpaw fighter reaches 75". Garry stands 6'3" and weighs 170 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the Octagon holding a record of 13-0-0. The 26-year-old has an arm span of 74". In terms of grappling, Geoff Neal is able to curb 87% of the takedowns his opponents attempt and is finishing his takedown attempts on 44% of the times he tries. Garry is finishing his takedowns on 75% of the tries he takes and is able to defend against 69% of the takedowns his opponents attempt. With reference to striking, Neal takes 5.60 strikes/min while he is dealing 5.22 strikes per minute. Garry, on the other side, is taking 3.58 strikes per minute and deals 6.67 per minute.
Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Alexander Volkanovski (-118)
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