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UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria
Ilia Topuria
Ilia Topuria
14-0 · GEO
VS
February 17, 2024 · Anaheim, California, USA
Featherweight · 5 rounds · Main event
144.5lb
Weigh-in
144.5lb
Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski by KO/TKO (Punch), R2 3:32
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Topuria15/380/000:00
Volkanovski26/520/000:00
R2 · 3:32
Topuria20/390/010:03
Volkanovski21/550/000:00
Total
Topuria35/770/010:03
Volkanovski47/1070/000:00

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
TopuriaWin probabilityVolkanovski
53.1%46.9%
KO / TKO
45%
Submission
23%
Decision
32%
Expected fight time: 14.2 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Topuria, blue toward Volkanovski. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Topuria53%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO22%42%
Submission18%33%
Decision13%25%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes52 (2270)act 35
Takedowns0.7 (0.02.7)act 0
Volkanovski47%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO23%48%
Submission5%11%
Decision19%41%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes66 (2890)act 47
Takedowns0.5 (0.02.0)act 0
Combined totals~118 sig strikes~1.1 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R126%
R218%
R312%
R47%
R55%
Distance32%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 0.8%
Topuria
41.4%+140
Volkanovski
-14057.8%
Most takedownstie 44.1%
Topuria
33.2%-146
Volkanovski
+14622.7%
Significant strikes — over/under
Topuria
Expected: 51.6
51.5
Over 51.5
39.9%
+151
Under 51.5
60.1%
-151
065130
Volkanovski
Expected: 65.9
66
Over 66
39.3%
+152
Exactly 66
0.7%
push
Under 66
59.9%
-152
083165
Takedowns — over/under
Topuria
Expected: 0.7
0.5
Over 0.5
40.9%
+144
Under 0.5
59.1%
-144
035
Volkanovski
Expected: 0.5
0.5
Over 0.5
31.1%
+221
Under 0.5
68.9%
-221
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 14.2 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Topuria53.1%43.7%+9.4+120
Volkanovski46.9%56.3%−9.4-142

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
73.7Striking80.7
Volkanovski +7.0
79.2Grappling48.2
Topuria +31.0
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
TopuriaVolkanovski
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1626
Pound-for-pound
1704
1612
Divisional
1717
1520
Striking offense
1541
1500
Striking defense
1520
Grappling offense
Grappling defense
Physical
27 yrs
Age
35 yrs
5'7"
Height
5'6"
69"
Reach
71"
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Striking (UFC career)
4.44
Strikes landed / min
6.19
46%
Strike accuracy
57%
3.05
Strikes absorbed / min
3.42
67%
Strike defense
58%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.19
Takedowns / 15 min
1.84
56%
Takedown accuracy
38%
93%
Takedown defense
70%
1.5
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.2
Form & résumé
100%
UFC win rate
87%
+6
Win/loss streak
-1
100%
Last-5 win rate
60%
67%
Finish rate
38%
Recent opp. quality
238
Days since last fight
119
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Ilia Topuria
  • WJosh EmmettU-DEC R5
    Close -3798mo before
  • WBryce MitchellSUB R2
    Close -1501y 2mo before
  • WJai HerbertKO/TKO R2
    Close -6181y 11mo before
  • WRyan HallKO/TKO R1
    Close -2272y 7mo before
  • WDamon JacksonKO/TKO R1
    Close -2753y 2mo before
Alexander Volkanovski
  • LIslam MakhachevKO/TKO R1
    Close +2074mo before
  • WYair RodriguezKO/TKO R3
    Close -3757mo before
  • LIslam MakhachevU-DEC R5
    Close +3001y before
  • WMax HollowayU-DEC R5
    Close -1921y 8mo before
  • WChan Sung JungKO/TKO R4
    Close -6821y 10mo before
Topuria — win / loss by method
Record: 14-0-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
4 wins, 0 losses
W
29% of wins
L
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
57% of wins
L
Decision
2 wins, 0 losses
W
14% of wins
L
UFC
6win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
3 (50%)KO/TKO() 0
1 (17%)Submission() 0
2 (33%)Decision() 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO() 0
7 (88%)Submission() 0
0 (0%)Decision() 0
Volkanovski — win / loss by method
Record: 26-3-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
13 wins, 2 losses
W
50% of wins
L
67% of losses
Submission
3 wins, 0 losses
W
12% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
10 wins, 1 loss
W
38% of wins
L
33% of losses
UFC
13win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
5 (38%)KO/TKO(50%) 1
0 (0%)Submission(0%) 0
8 (62%)Decision(50%) 1
Non-UFC
13win1loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
8 (62%)KO/TKO(100%) 1
3 (23%)Submission(0%) 0
2 (15%)Decision(0%) 0

Profiles

Experience
Topuria
Volkanovski
6
UFC fights
15
61.7 min · 10.3 avg
Octagon time
244.4 min · 16.3 avg
11y 4m
Career length
14y 2m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Topuria
Volkanovski
80W–12L · 87.0%
Overall
283W–52L · 84.5%
80W–12L · 87.0%
Wins
236W–50L · 82.5%
0W–0L
Losses
47W–2L · 95.9%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Topuria
Volkanovski
23W–8L · 74.2%
Overall
110W–50L · 68.8%
23W–8L · 74.2%
Wins
99W–46L · 68.3%
0W–0L
Losses
11W–4L · 73.3%
Distance striking
Topuria
Volkanovski
5.12
Landed / min
6.82
41.6%
Accuracy
53.5%
68.0%
Defense
61.0%
0.97
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.37
64.0%
Time at distance
66.8%
Grappling & control
Topuria
Volkanovski
2.19
Takedowns / 15 min
1.84
56.3%
Takedown accuracy
38.0%
92.9%
Takedown defense
70.0%
1.46
Sub attempts / 15 min
0.18
78.4%
Control share
80.2%
Strike target map
Topuria
  • Head75%(205)div 63%
  • Body16%(43)div 20%
  • Legs9%(26)div 16%
Volkanovski
  • Head63%(951)div 63%
  • Body11%(166)div 20%
  • Legs26%(395)div 16%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Ilia Topuria
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Alexander Volkanovski
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.