The UFC made its 10th show in Anaheim a historic one.
Returning to the Honda Center for the first time in more than two years, UFC 298 proved to be a record-setting night, highlighted by Ilia Topuria dethroning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the main event.
With an attendance of 18,186 and an announced live gate of $7,264,734, UFC CEO Dana White said UFC 298 was the highest-grossing live event in Honda Center history and the highest-grossing MMA event in California history.
“It’s good to be back. This arena has been very good to us for a long time,” White said. “We like the guys who run this place and we look forward to it. They have big plans for around here too, they’re building a good experience here. So, happy to be back with these guys.”
The UFC has been holding events at the Anaheim arena since April 15, 2006, when UFC 59: Reality Check featured Tim Sylvia winning the heavyweight title from Andrei Arlovski at the then-Arrowhead Pond.
The reign in Spain
Ilia Topuria professed all fight week that he would be the new featherweight champion Saturday night – a tall task considering Alexander Volkanovski was making his sixth title defense and had never lost at 145 pounds.
And with one punch, it all came true. Topuria, a German native who was raised in Georgia and has lived in Spain most of his life, blitzed the champ in the second round and connected with a right to the body and a left to the head. As Volkanovski backed against the cage, Topuria delivered a picture-perfect right to the jaw, putting Volkanovski down and out.
“I don’t need the judges,” Topuria, 27, said at a postfight press conference. “When I’m fighting, they can go and take their time to break and rest a little bit. The guy was really fast, very fast jabs. His movements, his kicks, he surprised me a little bit. It took me a little bit of time to study him and I had to knock him out in the second round.
“I was just waiting to find my timing. He…
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