Whilst we’re all here for the main card of UFC 298, there are a few ‘sleeper’ fights on the prelims that should deliver fireworks.
The final six fights of UFC 298 are fascinating contests, each with potential title picture ramifications one way or another – but that doesn’t mean you should skip the early or preliminary bouts.
In particular, MMAKnockdown expects fireworks in three key clashes: Justin Tafa vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima, Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro, and Oban Elliott vs Val Woodburn.
Three fights you don’t want to miss at UFC 298
If there is one ‘sleeper fight’ before the UFC 298 main card that is most likely to end in someone being ‘slept’, look no further than the heavyweight contest between Justin Tafa and Marcos Rogerio De Lima.
Tafa is 7-3 with all seven wins coming by way of knockout (five of which came in the first round), whilst Lima is 21-9-1 with 13 big wins coming by way of KO/TKO, with eight of those being first-round stoppages.
The big boys will be throwing big bombs as soon as the cage door locks behind them, with both fans and bookies expecting this one to end early.
Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro is also expected to be a feisty affair; in fact, DraftKings Sportsbook, the official betting partner of the UFC, currently has his contest as the most likely to end inside the distance than any fight at UFC 298.
Mingyang is 16-6 as he makes his UFC debut, with 10 of those wins coming by way of KO and six coming by way of submission – he has only seen the judges’ scorecards once in his career.
Ribeiro is currently 15-5 and he too has only ever been to the scorecards once in his professional career, with nine wins by KO/TKO and six by submission.
Oban Elliott will become only the seventh Welsh fighter in UFC history when he steps inside the octagon for his promotion debut against Val ‘The Animal’ Woodburn this weekend at UFC 298.
Elliott has a record of 9-2, with five victories coming by way of stoppage (four in the first round), whilst Woodburn has a 7-1 record also with five wins coming by way of KO/TKO (also with four in the opening round).
Oban Elliott vs Val Woodburn is set to take place on the early prelims of UFC 298 at approximately 3:45 PM PT, 6:45 PM ET, and 11:45 PM GMT.
Both Zhang Mingyang vs Brendson Ribeiro and Justin Tafa vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima are set for the preliminary card, with expected start times of 5:30 PM PT/8:30 PM ET and 6:15 PM PT/9:15 PM ET respectively.
UFC 298 takes place this weekend in Anaheim, California.