Yahoo Sport 
UFC 298: Quick Picks and Prognostications
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC 298.
UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Last event’s results: 2-4
Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2024: 9-11-1
Welcome to MMA Junkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.
With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by FanDuel.
If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.
So, without further ado…
Anthony Hernandez (-250) vs. Roman Kopylov (+198)
Kicking off the paid portion of the card is a middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Roman Kopylov.
Despite not disagreeing with Hernadez being installed as the betting favorite, I have a sneaky suspicion that the southpaw Kopylov is a live dog in this spot.
Aside from the fact that Hernandez officially stands at 0-1 opposite UFC-level lefties, the California native has shown a propensity to be stung by body shots in both victory and defeat.
Add in the fact that he’s arguably facing the best bodyworker at 185 pounds, and I can’t help but take a flier on Kopylov and his recent wrestling improvements to get it done for him here.
The pick is Kopylov by knockout in round 2.
Merab Dvalishvili (-235) vs. Henry Cejudo (+186)
Geoff Neal (+194) vs. Ian Garry (-245)
Robert Whittaker (-250) vs. Paulo Costa (+198)
Alexander Volkanovski (-122) vs. Ilia Topuria (+100)
