The Octagon heads back to Honda Center in Anaheim, California this Saturday night for UFC 298. The latest pay-per-view card from the Ultimate Fighting Championship features 13 fights in total, including UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski putting his belt on the line in the headliner against top contender Ilia Topuria. 

For this week, we will break down that main event in further detail plus two other fights in the latest edition of our Bookies.com UFC picks

UFC 298 Main Event Best Bet

UFC 298 Main Event Best Bet

Alexander Volkanovski (-120) vs. Ilia Topuria (+100)

The main event of UFC 298 sees UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski put his belt on the line against top contender Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski is a -120 favorite at the betting apps and I favor him to once again defend his crown and extend his unbeaten record at 145 lbs in the UFC.

Volkanovski is 35 and the Aussie has a 13-2 record in the UFC. He is one of the greatest featherweights of all time as he’s beaten many of the best fighters in his weight class. He has never lost at 145 lbs, and he’s even been competitive at 155 lbs as well. He is extremely well-rounded, with incredible striking, great wrestling, and immaculate cardio. There are very few flaws in Volkanovski’s game and he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters for a reason. 

That being said, he is coming off a head-kick knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in his last fight, which is a worry heading into this matchup since it was only a few months ago. Still, if there is anyone who can bounce back from a devastating loss like that it’s Volkanovski. He is looking to once again defend his 145 lbs belt, and he now takes on a very deserving challenger in Topuria.

Topuria is 27 and the Spanish-based Georgian has a 6-0 UFC record. Topuria has looked incredible since joining the Octagon four years ago, as he’s shown a well-rounded game that includes brutal knockout power and slick boxing on the feet, a strong submission game, and good durability. He is one of the best featherweights in the UFC right now and he appears to be the heir apparent to Volkanovski’s featherweight crown. 

That being said, this still could be a bit too much too soon for him. Going from Josh Emmett, who is a good fighter but not elite, to Volkanovski is a big step up in competition. It feels like Topuria could have used a fight against Holloway to test where he is at 145 lbs. As it stands, he is going to fight for the belt. The betting odds have him pegged as only a short underdog here, showing how much respect he’s getting.

Even though Volkanovski is coming off a knockout loss to Makhachev and Topuria has a ton of power, I’m not ready to write off “The Great” just yet. I am looking at this fight as a good buy-low spot on Volkanovski, as it seems a lot of people think he’s on the decline. It was, after all, just two fights ago that he went toe-to-toe with Makhachev and was looking like the best fighter on the planet. 

Topuria is a great fighter, but I’m not going to write off Volkanovski at featherweight, where he is utterly dominant. I’m going with Volkanovski to win as a -120 favorite, and I am leaning toward him to win a decision as I see this fight being competitive and going five rounds.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Alexander Volkanovski wins at -120 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 298 Best Prop Bet: Alexander Volkanovski wins via decision with DraftKings Sportsbook

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Other 298 Best Bets

Amanda Lemos (-130) vs. Mackenzie Dern (+110)

The featured bout on the prelims is a women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Lemos and Mackenzie Dern. Lemos is a -130 favorite, and I like her to get the knockout in this fight.

Lemos is 36 and she has a 7-3 record in the UFC. The Brazilian is one of the hardest punchers in her weight class as she’s won three fights by knockout in the UFC, plus she also has two submission wins as well, making her threatening anywhere the fight goes. Her one issue is her defensive grappling, as she’s been taken down and submitted in her most recent two losses. 

That being said, she is fighting elite competition, so that can happen. Overall, Lemos is extremely dangerous and she is still one of the best in the world despite her most recent loss to UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Again, there is no shame in losing to Zhang.

Dern is 30 and she has an 8-4 record in the UFC. The American is one of the best submission grapplers in her weight class as she’s won four fights by submission in the UFC, and in her wins, she often can control her opponents on the ground. Her striking, however, is not very good, and in her last fight, she was brutally knocked out by Jessica Andrade. Moreover, as good as her submissions are, Dern’s wrestling is not good, as she holds just a 14% takedown accuracy in the UFC, meaning she struggles to get her opponents to the floor. If she can get her opponents down to the ground, she always has the chance for a submission. But if her opponents keep the fight on the feet, Dern can be in huge trouble as her striking is sub-par.

Dern is coming off a brutal KO loss to Andrade in a fight where she was knocked down four times, and she now faces another powerful puncher in Lemos. Furthermore, Dern is coming into this fight on short notice, so she does not have a full training camp to prepare for it. Although Lemos is also coming off a one-sided loss to Zhang, losing a decision to the champ is not the worst thing in the world. In this matchup, I see Dern struggling to take Lemos down, Lemos keeping this fight on the feet, and landing the knockout blow to put Dern out. Go with Lemos to win this fight as a -130 favorite, and take her to win this fight by TKO for a prop bet.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Amanda Lemos wins at -130 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 298 Best Prop Bet: Amanda Lemos wins via TKO DraftKings Sportsbook

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Miranda Maverick (-185) vs. Andrea Lee (+150)

Kicking off the preliminary card is a women’s flyweight bout between Miranda Maverick and Andrea Lee. Maverick is a -185 favorite to win, and I like her to kick off the card with a victory.

Maverick is 26 and she has a 5-3 record so far in the UFC. The American is a talented grappler who has taken down most of her opponents in her UFC wins. On the ground, she stays heavy and controls her foes, if not submits them. On the feet, she has decent striking as well, and she has the cardio to go the full 15 minutes. She is also very durable, having never been finished in the Octagon. In her last fight, she submitted Priscila Cachoeira in her most dominant UFC victory yet. She now gets the opportunity to break into the top-15 rankings against Lee.

Lee is 35 and she has a 5-6 record in the UFC. The American began her UFC career with three straight wins and was looking like a contender at one point, but she has lost six of her last eight fights. To be fair to Lee, she has been fighting ranked fighters for the most part, but she does appear to be on the decline. She is a talented fighter who has solid striking and slick subs, but she has poor takedown defense and can be controlled on the mat. Against Maverick, Lee is going to look to keep this fight standing, because if she gets taken down, it will be a long night.

Lee has terrible takedown defense and Maverick is one of the better wrestlers in the women’s flyweight division. Maverick is also much younger and has far more upside than Lee does, plus she is coming off a win and has momentum unlike Lee, who has lost three straight fights. It is hard to see Lee stopping the takedown attempts of Maverick in this fight, and “Fear The” should be able to wrestle her way to a win. Go with Maverick to win this fight as a -185 betting favorite, and take Maverick to win this fight by decision as Lee is usually durable enough to hit the cards.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Miranda Maverick wins at -185 with DraftKings Sportsbook

UFC 298 Best Prop Bet: Miranda Maverick wins via decision with DraftKings Sportsbook

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