Alexander Volkanovski leaned into a hilarious bit at the UFC 298 press conference, wearing the old man costume he wore to promote his showdown with young lion Ilia Topuria.
Topuria was not all smiles from the outset as he vowed to retire Volkanovski. The crowd mercilessly booed the Spanish contender even before he told them to “shut the f*** up” on the dais at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
That was one part of the show on display for Saturday’s pay-per-view, but the main card competitors were kept from escalating things on stage, and staredowns didn’t include any extracurricular skirmishes. Ian Machado Garry and Geoff Neal kept things respectful despite some words exchanged online after Garry posted Neal’s mugshot. And bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili played to his crowd, bringing a Mexican flag to rile the crowd for his showdown with ex-champ Henry Cejudo.
Check out the above video featuring staredowns from the UFC 298 main card, which airs live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Below is the full video from the UFC 298 press conference on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.
Ilia Topuria did everything possible to get under Alexander Volkanovski’s skin at the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference. But his attempts seemed to fall on deaf ears – and that’s not because the featherweight champ dressed like he needed hearing aids.
Playing into the narrative that age is catching up, Volkanovski “hobbled” out on stage in Anaheim, Calif., dressed like his grandfather, complete with a cardigan, a chain hanging from his bifocal glasses and a newsboy cap to top it off.
Volkanovski said he was having a bit of fun following weeks of questions about his validity as champion at 35, which seems to be the cutoff for fighters finding success in many of the smaller weight classes.
“Just having a bit of fun with it,” he said. “You’ve got to do it, for the people as well. Everyone appreciated the outfit, so I wanted to do it in person.”
Topuria didn’t get the memo about having fun, because he was all about business, though much of what he said was drowned out by a loud chorus of boos from the crowd. That led to Topuria lashing out at the audience, then turning his attention back to Volkanovski Sr.
“Shut the f*** up! Shut up,” Topuria shouted. “You see how you can dress? You already know what’s going to happen. You just came ready for your retirement. Look how you look as an old man.”
Again and again, Topuria tried to verbally assault Volkanovski, but the reigning UFC featherweight king just refused to play into his trash talk. When that didn’t work, Topuria leaned over the table and snatched the UFC belt sitting in front of Volkanovski, which finally got him to jump out of his seat.
“Stand up and do something,” Topuria said. “Humble me. I’m right here in front of you. Do something.”
The belt eventually returned to its rightful owner, but even after that brief altercation, Volkanovski still brushed it off. Then he delivered a message to Topuria.
“You might as well take advantage of it now,” Volkanovski said to Topuria. “You’re never going to see it again. Not until I teach you a lesson. Maybe one day you can be a great champion. I’m going to kick your ass first, you’ll learn your lesson, and maybe you can bounce back after that.
“Until then, get your hands off my belt.”
Of course, Topuria stealing the title belt is a page taken right out of Conor McGregor’s playbook; the Irish star did the same to Jose Aldo when he was about to fight for the UFC featherweight title. On that night, an irate Aldo jumped out of his seat and tried to get at McGregor.
Volkanovski didn’t really even lunge for the belt, much less try to tackle Topuria for stealing it. He just continued to laugh off the situation, even faking falling asleep while Topuria was talking.
Old Man Volk was up past his bedtime #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/ZIrgGUGaay
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 16, 2024
“Conor McGregor wannabe huh? How about this bloke?” Volkanovski said. “I think this old man needs to teach this young fella a lesson.”
Despite the simmering tensions between them, the UFC 298 fighters faced off on stage without incident and even shared a handshake before separating.
The talking is now nearly done as Volkanovski prepares to defend his featherweight title for the sixth consecutive time, which puts him only one away from tying Aldo’s all-time record at 145 pounds.
The UFC 298 main card fighters will take part in the UFC 298 Pre-Fight Press Conference from Anaheim, Calif. at 7 p.m. ET.
The event takes place on Saturday at the Honda Center and is headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated Ilia Topuria.
The press conference will features the main card fighters and UFC CEO Dana White. On the stage will be Volkanovski, Topuria, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and his opponent Paulo Costa, Ian Machado Garry and Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo, and Merab Dvalishvili.
This weekend (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024) at UFC 298, the Featherweight title is on the line in Anaheim, California at the Honda Center. Headlining the event will be the reigning champion, Alexander Volkanovski, who seeks his sixth successful defense against the No. 3-ranked contender, Ilia Topuria. The co-main event will see top Middleweight contenders collide as former champion, Robert Whittaker, will welcome one-time title challenger, Paulo Costa, back to the Octagon for the first time since August 2022.
Volkanovski vs. Topuriapic.twitter.com/wub6vKHxun
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 16, 2024
Whittaker vs. Costa pic.twitter.com/1HcTAiwk1N
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 16, 2024
Also in attendance at today’s (Thurs., Feb. 15, 2024) pre-fight press conference was the pair of Welterweight contenders, the veteran, Geoff Neal, and undefeated 13-0, Ian Machado Garry. The match up is a rebooking of an originally scheduled UFC 292 contest this past August 2023.
Neal vs. Garry pic.twitter.com/UDZNafH0Pz
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 16, 2024
Before Neal vs. Garry, a pivotal Bantamweight contender battle will go down when former two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, looks to rebound and snap the nine-fight winning streak of No. 2-ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili.
Merab vs. Cejudo pic.twitter.com/QgRE3Ijim7
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 16, 2024
Opening the main card of UFC 298 will be a fun stylistic clash at Middleweight when Anthony Hernandez takes on Roman Kopylov.
Hernandez vs. Kopylov pic.twitter.com/XSxi6WqSDW
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) February 16, 2024
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
The UFC 298 press conference video will feature many of the top stars for the UFC’s second pay-per-view of 2024 on Thursday evening.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, featherweight challenger Ilia Topuria, former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker, middleweight standout Paulo Costa, welterweight standouts Ian Machado Garry and Geoff Neal, former bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo and contender Merab Dvalishvili are a few of those slated to appear at the UFC 298 press conference.
The UFC 298 press conference is slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
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