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 UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski and the undefeated 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 took to social media to weigh in on the upcoming PPV card and offer some predictions for the fights. As expected, “Notorious” is siding with his fellow Irishman in Garry, who he believes will finish Neal in the very 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.
Check out 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…
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) February 17, 2024
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?
Let’s discuss!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting 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, before the PPV main card start time at 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.