Much has been made in the way of promotion of the UFC 298 main event. Be it the brash confidence of the undefeated title challenger or the ‘old man’ jibe by the dominant reigning champion. As the MMA pundits study the omens and cast their runes of prediction, the one thing that emerges is – uncertainty. And that’s what makes this a thrilling encounter.
Now, it’s hard to predict against a dominant champ like Volk. After all, prior to his adventures at 155lbs he was on a 12 fight winning streak in the UFC, and is currently holding fast at 5 featherweight title defenses. His resume speaks for itself, from former champions like Aldo and Holloway to a hungry new breed of challengers like Ortega and Rodriguez. From dynamic strikers to elite grapplers, Volk has seen it all. He holds one of the most well rounded arsenals in the game – Standing at 5’6” Volkanovski’s crisp and technical striking is a wondrous thing to witness against taller opponents like Holloway, Rodríguez and Ortega. He has excellent boxing fundamentals and precise combinations with the spatial awareness of a cat. Volkanovski’s wrestling is top-notch too, thanks years of clashing with bigger dudes on the rugby field. He has strong takedowns and solid ground control. And his ability to mix it up with his strikes has often dictated where the fight takes place. Volkanovski is known for his relentless pace and incredible cardio. He can maintain a high output throughout the fight, which often overwhelms his opponents as the rounds progress, as seen in his most recent title defense against “El Pantera” Yair Rodríguez.
So what makes “El Matador” such a threat? (Love the name btw, was a big fan of Tito Santana in the 90s, drop-kicking the shit out of people in the WWF)
Well ofcourse, the mystique that surrounds an undefeated fighter. The man has gone to decision only twice in his 14-0 career, both times in the UFC, certainly marking a step up in competition from his days at Brave FC and Cage Warriors. And while his resume is nowhere as stellar as Volk’s previous title challengers’ one thing is undeniable – his power is terrifying! He folded Jai Herbert worse than Yoel Romero did Luke Rockhold. He has a brawler style at times where he’ll play rock-em-sock-em-robots like he did in his last fight with Josh Emit which might cost Topuria against the elite timing and stance-changing capabilities of Volk. But the jiu-jitsu black-belt is supremely confident in all areas going into this fight as displayed with his recent interviews and social media accounts where he’s crowned himself the undisputed featherweight king. And he’s going to need that confidence going up against one of the all-time greats.
Ilia’s rise to title challenger in the short time he’s been in the UFC has been impressive. After all he’s challenging for the belt in only his 7th UFC fight… by comparison Max Holloway was on an incredible 10 fight win-streak when he challenged Jose Aldo for the vacant 145lbs strap at UFC 212, similar numbers for the likes of Ortega, Furguson, Khabib even.
