Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has revealed his predictions for the UFC 298 main event and co-headliner.
Taking center stage at UFC 298 will be a featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. As for the co-main event, that will feature former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on Paulo Costa. Many have debated who will walk out of the Honda Center in Anaheim, California victorious.
Usman has an idea of who he thinks will emerge victorious in both the main event and co-main.
Kamaru Usman Makes His UFC 298 Predictions
Kamaru Usman has uploaded a new video on his YouTube channel breaking down the UFC 298 card. In particular, he touched on the Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa, and Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria fights. First up, the co-main event.
“Both guys ain’t gonna try to take each other down,” Usman said. “Both guys just gonna strike. I believe Paulo hits hard, I believe Robert Whittaker’s a little bit more dynamic, and I think he’s gonna have to be that way in this fight in order to get his hand raise because if he lets Paulo march him down, then he might be facing a similar situation that he did in his last fight going up against Dricus Du Plessis. So, I’m gonna go with Paulo Costa in that fight.”
Usman appeared to have a more difficult time predicting the outcome of Volkanovski vs. Topuria. He did mention, however, that he knows how good Topuria is.
“Alexander Volkanovski coming off of his loss, his setback to Islam Makhachev, and Ilia Topuria riding that wave,” Usman said. “This guy [Topuria] is the real deal. I had the pleasure of moving around with him while he was here down in South Florida. This kid’s got real skill, and I mean real skill. He can box, he can grapple, he can kickbox, he can wrestle. I mean, he’s not lying when he says he’s an evolution of the game.”
Usman admitted he was not a fan of Topuria’s antics during the pre-fight press conference, which saw “El Matador” snatch the UFC Featherweight Championship from Volkanovski’s table. Prior to the presser, Topuria also wore Volkanovski’s title during a photo shoot.
“I didn’t love the press conference because he’s a good-looking kid, he’s a nice guy, very put together,” Usman said. “I didn’t love it, but this is a guy with real skills. It’s very difficult to bet against Volkanovski. I’ve done it numerous times in his earlier fights and I’ve learned my lesson. So, I’m gonna look for the champion, if it goes decision, I’m going with the champion, but if this fight is stopped early I think Topuria is gonna have to put himself in those positions to take those risks, and he’s got crazy combinations.”
Ultimately, Usman settled on a final pick for the UFC 298 championship tilt.
“If I had to pick, gun to my head, I’m gonna have to go with Alexander Volkanovski,” Usman said.
Here is the full video of Kamaru Usman’s UFC 298 breakdowns and predictions:
