5 best finishes from the stars of UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
This weekend will see UFC 298 go down in Anaheim, California, and it promises to be one of the biggest events of 2024 thus far.
UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria features not only some of the world’s best fighters, but some of the most dangerous finishers too. Whether these fighters produce some classic finishes this weekend remains to be seen, but judging by their history, we can be hopeful.
Here are five of the best finishes produced by the stars of UFC 298.
#5. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes – UFC 266
Top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili has a reputation for putting on slightly underwhelming performances at times. This is because ‘The Machine’ prefers to use his wrestling to and relentless pace to grind his foes down.
However, when he needs to, Dvalishvili can definitely finish off his opponents. This was definitely the case in September 2021, when he delivered a wild stoppage of Marlon Moraes that was up there with the best of the year.
Early on, it looked like it would not be the Georgian’s night. Midway through the first round, he walked into a nasty counter left that stunned him badly, and Moraes quickly followed up with a flurry in an attempt to finish.
Somehow, though, the Brazilian could not put him away, and despite being knocked down twice, Dvalishvili was able to grab his foe and secure a takedown.
From there, as if he was more angered by being hurt than anything else, ‘The Machine’ began to unleash hell in the form of some brutal ground-and-pound, the round ending with him on top.
The second round followed the same pattern. Dvalishvili quickly took Moraes down, and then began to brutalise him in relentless fashion despite the Brazilian trying his best to defend.
Eventually, the referee mercifully called the bout off, with Moraes left in a bloody mess. He would only fight once more in his UFC career, while Dvalishvili claimed a $50k bonus, and has since gone from strength to strength.
#4. Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw – UFC Fight Night 143
Henry Cejudo is renowned as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, and this is largely because he’s one of just five stars to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist’s first title win, at flyweight, came in controversial circumstances. He defeated longtime champion Demetrious Johnson by razor-close decision, with many observers believing that Johnson deserved the nod.
However, the same could not be said for his first title defense. Faced with bantamweight titleholder T.J. Dillashaw, who moved down to 125 pounds in his own attempt to become a double champ, ‘Triple C’ clearly felt like he had a point to prove.
Within just 32 seconds, that point was proven. Cejudo came out like a man possessed, cracked Dillashaw with a head kick that stunned him, and followed with a flurry of punches.
The bantamweight kingpin wilted instantly, and although he later tried to claim the stoppage had come early, it absolutely wasn’t the case.
The finish turned Cejudo into an overnight sensation, and when Dillashaw vacated his title following a positive drug test, ‘Triple C’ claimed it with another thrilling finish in his next fight.
This TKO of Dillashaw, though, still stands out as the Olympian’s best in the octagon, and remains wild to this day.
#3. Geoff Neal vs. Mike Perry – UFC 245
When Geoff Neal signed with the UFC in 2018, he brought with him the reputation of a truly heavy hitter.
It didn’t take long for ‘Handz of Steel’ to live up to that reputation, as he sparked out Frank Camacho and Niko Price in two of his early bouts.
It was his 2019 finish of Mike Perry, though, that really put him on the map. This was a finish so brutal that it shocked the fans and basically ended Perry’s UFC career in the process.
With both men looking to strike, it was clear that the fight wouldn’t last too long, and sure enough, in an early exchange, Neal cracked ‘Platinum’ with a violent head kick.
Perry was badly hurt, and Neal quickly followed up, landing two more head kicks before crushing his opponent with powerful punches.
Referee Chris Tognoni quickly stepped in, and at just 1:30 of the first round, ‘Handz of Steel’ had become the first fighter to ever stop the durable ‘Platinum’ in his MMA career.
Neal has picked up bigger wins since that have elevated him into the top ten at welterweight, but it’s fair to say that this one remains his most highlight-worthy finish in the octagon.
#2. Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert – UFC Fight Night 204
This weekend will see Ilia Topuria step into his biggest fight to date, as he’ll have a chance to claim the UFC featherweight title from longtime champ Alexander Volkanovski.
If ‘El Matador’ can pull this one off, it’ll count as one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. Given his history of violence, it’s also likely that any win for the Spanish fighter will come via finish.
Topuria has claimed a total of six wins in the octagon to date, and four of them have seen him dispatch his foe. However, his best finish probably came in March 2022, when he stepped into hostile territory to face Jai Herbert.
The fight took place in Herbert’s home country of the UK, and early on, it looked like ‘The Black Country Banger’ would make that home advantage pay off.
After being taken down in the early going, he stunned Topuria with a big combination that knocked his mouthpiece out. Topuria was able to recover, only to see his mouthpiece sent flying again with a big knee.
Somehow, ‘El Matador’ survived the round, and in the second, he made Herbert pay for letting him off the hook.
With just a minute of the round gone, Topuria landed a three-punch combination that knocked Herbert dead, crumpling him to the ground and silencing the London crowd. It was such a violent finish that the Spaniard didn’t even need to follow up with any extra shots.
Whether Volkanovski is likely to let him off the hook if he hurts him like Herbert did is another thing entirely, of course, but if Topuria lands this kind of combination this weekend, we’ll have a new champion.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chad Mendes – UFC 232
Alexander Volkanovski is arguably the greatest featherweight in MMA history at this point, with a list of accomplishments to rival any fighter.
However, since he claimed the UFC’s 145-pound title in 2019, ‘Alexander the Great’ has only finished two opponents, Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez.
Both of those finishes came at the end of prolonged beatdowns, meaning they weren’t quite highlight-reel worthy. However, the same cannot be said for the Australian’s finish of former title challenger Chad Mendes in 2018.
That was the win that really put Volkanovski on the map, and turned him from a potential contender into a genuine title threat.
Despite having five octagon wins to his name, Volkanovski actually came into the bout as an underdog. Mendes had returned to action earlier that year following a near-three year absence, and had destroyed Myles Jury in a frightening showing.
Many fans questioned quite how ‘Alexander the Great’ would deal with the striking of ‘Money’, and sure enough, after a back-and-forth first round, Mendes dropped the Aussie with a right hand.
That only seemed to wake the beast, though, and moments later, Volkanovski drilled him with a right hand of his own before opening up with a combo.
Mendes tried a takedown to top the onslaught, but Volkanovski kept pouring it on, and shortly after, he destroyed the former title challenger with another combination, putting him down for good.
Nearly six years later, this one arguably remains Volkanovski’s signature finish, even if he’s gone onto far greater things since.