UFC 298: Ilia Topuria knocks out Alexander Volkanovski to become new featherweight champion

Ilia Topuria dethroned Alexander Volkanovski in spectacular fashion at UFC 298 to become the new featherweight champion of the world.

The Spaniard produced a stunning knockout to end the contest in the second round and usher in a new era at the Honda Center in California.

It improved Topuria’s record to 15-0-0, while the loss was the second in a row for Volkanovski and brought his long reign of the 145-pound division to a close.

"I feel so happy right now," Topuria told Joe Rogan. "They are going to knock you down and doubt you but the only person you need to watch your back is yourself.

"Have faith and everything is possible - look at me."

Asked why he was so confident he would get his arm raised, he added: "I just know my skills. I worked so hard for this one knowing one day I would become a UFC champion. I had to throw a lot of punches and long combinations and this is what I did.

"Dana [White], it's time to take the UFC to Spain."

Volkanovski was the heavy favourite as he attempted to defend his belt for a sixth time but found himself on the back foot early as Topuria landed a series of low kicks and threatened to connect with some looping overhand rights.

But the champion responded with a stinging left and some calf kicks of his own to finish a close opening round on top.

The challenger came out fast in the second and landed a good right-left combination and another solid right before Volkanovski found some success with his jab.

Topuria was starting to wear the damage on his face but he wasn’t deterred as he continued to come forward and found Volkanovski’s chin with a stinging right to close the show in style.

It will come as no consolation to the fallen champion, who has reigned over the featherweights since December 2019, that he was given the first round by all three judges.

The 35-year-old has now suffered back-to-back knockout defeats but responded to Topuria’s calls for a main event in Spain, insisting he’d be up for the rematch in El Matador’s home country.

"That's the power of his hands, we knew we had to be careful of that," Volkanovski said. "Well done to him.

"He caught me, I was going to start working everything and he got me so credit to him.

"I've been champion of this division for a long time - he keeps mentioning Spain so maybe we'll do the rematch over there."

In the co-main event, Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker bounced back from his loss to Dricus Du Plessis with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa.

It was a thrilling contest between two of the best in the division but it was the former champion who survived a scare at the end of the first round to improve his record to 26-7-0, with the judges scoring it 30-27, 29-28 and 29-18.

Costa, who had been out of action since beating Luke Rockhold in August 2022, was the aggressor early on, landing some good jabs and attempting a series of low and high kicks.

But Whittaker grew into the opener and snapped the Brazilian’s head back a few times, first with a slick counter left and then with some stiff rights.

The Australian was on top but such is the nature of the 185-pound division, any fight can change in an instant and Whittaker was saved by the bell after Costa wobbled him with a pinpoint spinning back-kick with seconds remaining.

Whittaker appeared to have recovered as the pair traded blows in the second. The kicks were starting to wear on the face of Costa, while blood streamed from a cut on Whittaker’s cheek.

And it was arguably all to play for in the final round after the frequency with which Whittaker landed in the second.

Both men came out swinging and landing in the third. It was still anybody’s fight entering the final 90 seconds as Costa attempted another spinning back-kick but this time it was wide of the mark.

Another low kick had Costa limping in the final minute before a flashed left caught the Brazilian off guard in a strong end to the fight for The Reaper.

Both raised aloft their hands at the bell but it was Whittaker who got the nod as he plots his route back to the title.

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