Ilia TopuriavsAlexander Volkanovski
UFC 298 · February 17, 2024 · Featherweight
Topuria KO round 2
Ended Volkanovski's featherweight reign. Topuria became the youngest FW champion since Aldo.
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Setup
UFC 298 at Honda Center in Anaheim. Alexander Volkanovski entered as the featherweight champion with 5 successful defenses, including the trilogy wins over Max Holloway. Ilia Topuria, the Spanish-Georgian undefeated contender (14-0), had been climbing the FW ladder with wins over Bryce Mitchell, Josh Emmett, and others.
Pre-fight context: Volkanovski had just lost to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 by 1st-round KO 4 months earlier on short notice. The Topuria challenge was a quick turnaround. Volkanovski entered as a -200 favorite; Topuria entered as a +180 underdog with significant betting action.
The fight
Round 1: Topuria's hand speed was immediately the difference. He landed several clean rights in the first 2 minutes, including a check hook that buckled Volkanovski's knees. The round was competitive but Topuria's power was visibly the heavier weapon.
Round 2: Topuria pressed forward with a 2-3 punch combination ending in a clean right hand on Volkanovski's chin. Volkanovski dropped. Follow-up strikes forced the referee stoppage at 3:32 of round 2.
What changed
The fight ended Volkanovski's FW title reign and announced Topuria as the new champion. Specific takeaways:
- Topuria's power was generational: his right hand had finished every opponent who had stayed in front of him in his career
- Volkanovski's age was showing: at 35, his championship-rounds gas tank was still elite, but his recovery from clean shots had degraded since the Makhachev loss
- The Spanish-Georgian crossover MMA market was real: Topuria's nationality (Spanish citizenship, born in Germany to Georgian parents) opened a new European market for the UFC
Significance
UFC 298 was a clean era-handoff at featherweight. The Volkanovski reign ended; the Topuria era began. Topuria's first defense at UFC 308 (October 2024) was a 3rd-round KO of Max Holloway — Volkanovski's longtime rival.
The post-fight: Topuria vacated the FW title in early 2025 to move up to lightweight and pursue the Islam Makhachev title fight. Volkanovski announced his retirement from featherweight title contention later that year. The post-Volkanovski FW era is being defined by Topuria's move up and the open title picture below him.