After challenging the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, on short notice in October, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski returns to the 145-pound division to defend his title for the sixth time.
At UFC 298, Volkanovski puts his belt on the line against Ilia Topuria in Anaheim, California. The undefeated challenger won all six of his UFC fights thus far and has earned three straight performance bonuses ahead of his first shot at UFC gold.
Unlike Topuria, who couldn’t have more momentum leading into UFC 298’s main event, Volkanovski suffered two defeats in his last three fights, both against Makhachev in his quest to become the fifth two-division champion in UFC history.