UFC 298 Best Bets: Picks, Odds and Predictions

Written by

Published on February 14, 2024

The UFC heads to Anaheim, California on Saturday, February 17 for UFC 298. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria.

Below, I'll share my favorite play, an underdog, a prop and a two-fighter parlay. All odds are via the DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the post date of this article.

Weight Class: Featherweight

Alexander Volkanovski (26-3) vs. Ilia Topuria (14-0)

Alexander Volkanovski is the reigning featherweight champion, but everyone seems to be going against him due to his KO loss on short notice while fighting up a weight class against Islam Makhachev.

However, at featherweight, Volkanovski is dominant, and although Ilia Topuria does look impressive, this seems like it's a bit too soon for him.

Volkanovski is super technical on the feet, and the champ should be able to avoid the power shots of Topuria. If Topuria can't KO Volkanovski early, the champ should dominate from then on to take a decision win.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Alexander Volkanovski (-125)

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight

Brendson Ribeiro (15-5) vs. Zhang Mingyang (16-6)

There aren't a ton of underdogs I like on this card, but Brendson Ribeiro is someone that should be -125 to -130 here, so to get him at plus-money makes it a play.

Ribeiro looked impressive on the Contender Series with a first-round KO, while Zhang is a first-round or bust fighter. However, Zhang also lost to Askar Mozharov -- the fighter who had the fraudulent record and was ultimately cut after getting dominated by Alonzo Menifield.

Riberio should be able to avoid the power shot of Zhang early, and in the second round, he will be able to land something big and put Zhang out after he gasses.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Brendson Ribeiro (+102)

Weight Class: Middleweight

Robert Whittaker (24-7) vs. Paulo Costa (14-2)

The co-main event of UFC 298 is an intriguing middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, but there is a way to turn Whittaker from -258 to +110.

With this only being a three-round fight, Whittaker should be able to out-technical Costa, who has flaws if he can't get an early KO. The Brazilian is also coming off a lengthy layoff, as he hasn't fought since August of 2022, and he didn't even look good in that fight.

Whittaker could also mix in wrestling to control the fight and win rounds. Costa is durable, and with Whittaker just needing to get back into the win column, the former champ should be able to land the better shots on the feet and use his wrestling to win a decision.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Robert Whittaker by decision (+110)

Weight Classes: Welterweight & Middleweight

Danny Barlow (7-0) vs. Josh Quinlan (6-1)
Anthony Hernandez (11-2) vs. Roman Kopylov (12-2)

For my parlay at UFC 298, I'm taking Danny Barlow and Anthony Hernandez to get their hands raised at UFC 298.

Barlow is a great striker with massive power in his hands, while Quinlan is coming off a lackluster decision loss to Trey Waters. Quinlan is there to be hit, as he absorbs 5.97 significant strikes per minute, while Barlow is extremely active on the feet. Barlow should be able to land his left hook and KO Quinlan early in the fight.

The other leg is the main card opener, as I'm backing Anthony Hernandez to beat Roman Kopylov. Kopylov has looked impressive of late, as he's on a four-fight winning streak, but none of those wins were against people who wanted to wrestle him. Kopylov was exposed in his first two fights, and Hernandez should be able to keep Kopylov down and control him to get the victory, potentially by way of submission.

UFC 298 Best Bet: Danny Barlow & Anthony Hernandez parlay (+115)

UFC 298 Best Bets

Here is a recap of this weekend's UFC 298 best bets:

For up-to-date information on the latest odds and props from multiple sportsbooks, check out the UFC odds page on RotoWire.

North Carolina sports betting is set to launch on March 11 with a wide variety of great online sportsbooks. Some of our favorite North Carolina sportsbook promos include the Caesars North Carolina promo code and the Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina promo code.

If you prefer to deposit at a sportsbook via PayPal, RotoWire has an up-to-date list of all the top-rated PayPal betting sites in one place. We also list all major sportsbooks accepting credit card.