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.
