Former UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega provided his preview and prediction for the UFC 298 main event.
On Saturday night, the UFC 298 pay-per-view main card will end with a highly-anticipated featherweight title fight as Alexander Volkanovski looks to extend his legendary reign. Volkanovski’s latest challenge is Ilia Topuria, a dangerous and undefeated fighter with arguably delusional confidence.
Volkanovski vs. Topuria is expected to be an action-packed battle, leading to various predictions from the MMA community.
During an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Brian Ortega, who suffered a unanimous decision loss against Volkanovski in 2021, compared himself to Topuria while breaking down the UFC 298 main event:
“I think it’s gonna be a great fight. It always reaches a point, even when I faced Max [Holloway], where you have this, I think almost at the same time [I was] 14-0, undefeated guy, six fights, I think six finishes, and everyone was like d*mn Ortega, and then you go up a level and then you face the champ.”
Ortega continued:
“There’s always that question is he ready or is he not? Skillfully, yes, he looks good against the people he’s faced, technically sound, full package when it comes to striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, everything. You can’t look at him and say he has one full weakness that’s exploited. [Topuria] doesn’t have that.”
Watch Ortega’s interview with Shakiel Mahjouri below:
Brian Ortega reveals prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski has separated himself as arguably the greatest UFC featherweight of all time. With that said, Ilia Topuria’s track record thus far has made him only a slight betting underdog in the UFC 298 main event.
During the previously mentioned interview, Brian Ortega concluded his breakdown of Volkanovski vs. Topuria and provided his prediction:
“I do believe guys such as Volk have a different type of level of chess game. That’s why these fights are amazing to watch, right? You have someone who’s confident, someone who’s speaking like he’s already the champ and defended it three times. Then you have the guy who’s actually been at the top of the mountain and just kicking everyone down. This is a good fight. Personally, even as a fan, it’s a good fight. A lot of questions will be answered after this weekend, but it’s hard to go against Volk.”
As for Brian Ortega’s fighting career, the 32-year-old is also preparing for an upcoming fight. In July 2022, Ortega suffered a first-round TKO loss against Yair Rodriguez due to a freak shoulder injury. ‘T-City’ hasn’t fought since then, but he’s now scheduled to face Rodriguez in a rematch on February 24 at UFC Mexico City.
