We'll have live coverage of the PPV card for UFC 298 starting at 7PM Pacific/10PM Eastern.
I'll be live with Dave Meltzer and Ryan Frederick on Wrestling Observer Radio, which you can stream live at F4W's video channel (subscription).
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Roman Kopylov Vs. Anthony Hernandez
Kopylov is slick on his feet and was touching Hernandez early and easily. Hernandez landed a shot which allowed him to shoot in and get Kopylov up against the cage. Kopylov pushed it back to the center. Hernandez threw a sweeping right and pushed Kopylov back into the cage again. Hernandez stayed busy in the clinch and eked out the round.
Hernandez kept pressing Kopylov, but his aggressiveness opens him up to body kicks. But he kept coming forward. He pressed him up against the cage again and eventually got the takedown. He got behind him and went for the choke. Kopylov fought it and as he was getting up, Hernandez got the choke again. Kopylov amazingly fought it and was trying to sit up, but all it did was allow Hernandez to sink it in tighter and Kopylov tapped out.
Winner: Anthony Hernandez by second round submission
Wanderlei Silva is heading into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Merab Dvalishvili Vs. Henry Cejudo
They both threw punches at the same time and Cejudo landed a left hook that rocked Dvalishvili, whose own left hand landed short. Dvalishvili grabbed a leg and actually took Cejudo down. Dvalishvili landed a punch, but Cejudo ended up on top of him. Very competitive and first round that Cejudo probably took.
Cejudo used his wrestling to open up striking opportunities. Dvalishvili took Cejudo down for a second time. Cejudo doesn't have the same pep in his step. Late in the round, Dvalishvili had a guillotine locked in that didn't seem serious until it was. He rode it until the end and the fight should be tied at a round each.
Dvalishvili was definitely the fresher of the two fighters. Dvalishvili was pushing the pace and throwing sharp strikes. Dvalishvili picked Cejudo up and carried him to the other side of the octagon and slammed him. Cejudo's will was done after that. Dvalishvili ran away with the rest of the round.
Winner: Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision
Ian Machado Garry Vs. Geoff Neal
Both guys came out quick, but it was Neal who landed the first real shot and pushed Machado Garry back against the fence. Machado Garry used his reach and long legs to catch Neal and minimize his aggressiveness near the end of the round and probably took it.
Neal had a hard time dealing with the length. He had to be the aggressive one to get inside, but Machado Garry's front kicks made it hard for him to land. Neal was creative though and got inside late, but Machdo Garry tied him up. Close second round.
The crowd's not happy with this one. Neal keeps pressing and Machado Garry keeps countering. Neal probably wishes for a WEC cage instead. The best shots in the fight have been Machado Garry's counter knees to the face. This was a really close fight.
Winner: Ian Machado Garry by split decision
The scores were 30-27 and 30-27 for Machdo Garry while one judge had it 29-28 for Neal.
Paulo Costa Vs. Robert Whittaker
Whittaker looked good in the round. He was more active and landed more shots. With less than five seconds in the round, Costa threw a spinning heel kick that rocked him. It hit him flush on the side of the face and was saved by the bell.
Costa thumbed Whittaker in the eye and Whittaker didn't take much time. It's pretty clear that the kick at the end of the round messed him up. He was very slow to react and was eating jabs. He picked it up in the second half of the round and landed the bigger shots. Costa threw another head kick, but it was blocked. Whittaker closed strong to take it.
Costa wanted to brawl out about midway through the third, but Whittaker didn't bite. Costa was the fresher fighter and everything he did was quicker and had more snap. Whittaker closed strong and we have another close decision.
Winner: Robert Whittaker by way of unanimous decision
The scores were 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.
Ilia Topuria Vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Topuria looked tremendous early on. He was landing low leg kicks and following it up with right hands. Volkanovski landed hard low leg kicks on his own. Volkanovski looked bothered by the low leg kicks early on, but then found his own rhythm and ended the round in decent fashion.
Topuria is leading all the exchanges while Volkanovski is doing a lot of counterpunching. Volkanovski was landing punches to the face. Topuria had Volkanovski on his heels. He missed some shots but as Volkanovski was defending, he was open for a left hook and Topuria put his lights out.
Winner: Ilia Topuria by second round KO
