UFC 298 preview: After 2 losses, champ Alexander Volkanovski fights to stay on top against Ilia Topuria

Alexander Volkanovski wore a flat cap and old-man glasses to his news conference for UFC 298 this week, poking fun at the persistent notion that the 35-year-old kingpin of the featherweight division is headed into his golden years. UFC 298 fight card: UFC Featherweight Title fight: Alex Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria Middleweight : Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa Welterweight: Geoff Neal vs Ian Machado Garry Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez vs Roman Kopylov “That’s why this is the perfect fight coming off what happened,” Volkanovski said. It’s a perfect story.” The UFC’s first pay-per-view show in the vast Southern California market in 25 months features former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s long-delayed meeting with Paulo Costa in the penultimate bout. Volkanovski could become the first fighter in UFC history to make two successful title defenses after losses if he beats Topuria, the German-born Georgian who trains in Spain. That attack requires much more than a high work rate, however; Volkanovski succeeds by optimizing the timing and distance in his strikes, and Topuria has never faced a fighter with the champion’s level of precision.