Who's your money on? Alexander Volkanovski returns to featherweight to defend his title against the power and burgeoning talent of Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. 

Bookmakers only have the Australian as a narrow favourite to come out on top, despite the fact that he's never been beaten at 145-pounds during his time with the promotion. 

But what do other fighters think? Overwhelmingly, they are siding with Volkanovski, though some have reservations about whether he is coming back too quickly from a heavy defeat by Islam Makhachev last year. 

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who is moving up to compete with the likes of Topuria and Volkanovski, sees it as a tight contest with the champion defending his crown. 

He said: 'I think Ilia is really, really good, dangerous boxing. I think that's the difference with him and Volk but Volk has got some really good faints and footwork, Ilia is more stationary, typically tends to just walk you down and put the hands on you. 

'They are both similar height so I'm interested to see how it goes. I do lean toward Volkanovski because he mixes it up a little bit more. If Topuria can mix in kicks it adds a different wrinkle in the game other than training for boxing. 

'Volk could just stay on the outside, touch him up with calf kicks and inside leg kicks.'

While No 7-ranked Josh Emmett agrees, despite being beaten by Topuria: 'It's hard to bet against Volkanovski, he's such a dominant champion, he's fought Islam twice, it's just tough to bet against such a decorated champion,' he argued.

'But Ilia is a young, hungry, talented individual as well. If I had to bet I would probably lean towards Volkanovski.'

Two more featherweights Movsar Evloev and Andre Fili concurred, with the former saying: 'Of course Ilia has a chance, he's tough and 14-0. My favourite is still Alex but personally maybe it is better for me if Ilia wins. 

While Fili added: 'It's exciting man, Topuria is really, really good. He has very good boxing and defensive wrestling. It's hard to bet against Volk at this point. I learn from studying my contemporaries, I watch what they do and take mental notes on everybody. I'm not sure how it'll go but it'll be fun to watch.'

There are, however, a handful of fighters who back Topuria to spring an upset.  

Ben Askren was among those to make his prediction to James Lynch, saying: 'It will be interesting to see if the TKO from Makhachev has an affect on Volkanovski. Topuria is impressive, hits hard and is good at what he does. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Topuria wins. 

And Jack Hermansson added: 'It's hard not to have Volk as the favourite in any fight he's in but Topuria has been looking incredible, he's one of my favourites to watch right now and I think maybe he can get the job done.'

Rising featherweight star Sean Woodson was one of the more confident fighters in picking Topuria, saying: 'I've been back and forth the more I look at it but I think Topuria is going to take that one. Volk is 36 I believe and I feel like that second fight with Islam wasn't the best choice. 

'He's bouncing back too quick from that head kick knockout, he should have taken time off and I think Topuria is going to get him.'

And Chase Hooper made the same point, suggesting the power of Topuria could show that Volkanovski needed more time to heal. 

'I don't think it's enough time between fights, your jaw doesn't heal up that quickly so Topuria could definitely catch him,' he said. 

Neil Magny thinks the preparation time Volkanovski will have put into this one in contrast to the 11 days notice for Makhachev will see him triumph, while Scotland's Paul Craig 'leans towards' the champion.  

One man who is also fighting on Saturday night against Paulo Costa and knows Volkanovski very well, is Robert Whittaker.  

His assessment was: 'Before that last loss to Makhachev, Volk was unstoppable, nobody would have second guessed him and to a degree I still don't. 

'In his division, he's been a monster with nobody even coming close. He also opened up after the fight, there's things there you don't know, headspace is such a big part of the fight world and the fight game.'

Interestingly, one of the premier minds in MMA, Henry Cejudo, swims against the tide of opinion here and is tipping Topuria to become the first Spanish champion. 

He said: 'It is hard to doubt a guy who has defended his title, gone up a weight division and had close fights against the No 2 pound-for-pound. You know what though, I am going for Ilia Topuria.

'It is hard to go against Volk who is very well rounded and has fought that level of competition. If Topuria can protect leg kicks and bring back some of that Georgian wrestling, I can see him not only beating but dominating in this fight.'

Israel Adesanya disagreed, saying on his YouTube channel. 'I love the way Topuria mixes it up, his wrestling. I like his combinations. Ilia is a beautiful fighter, I think his boxing is something that’s magnificent to watch… He’s good for the sport, but you know who’s great for the sport? Alexander Volkanovski.

'I’m gonna go late stoppage, round four KO or TKO. I think he’s just gonna exhaust him. 

'It’s different when you’re in the championship rounds, but you have Alexander Volkanovski in your face… Ilia’s only shot is early on, [round] one or two. After that, I see it just going downhill for him from there.'

And former UFC star Chael Sonnen made a point nobody else had brought up, claiming the promotion went out of their way to build Topuria up without having him face Max Holloway en route to his title shot.     

The former middleweight told his YouTube channel: 'From a mindset standpoint, Volk is going to be close to a contender, coming off a loss. It's almost a riddle, "I lost in my previous fight but I'm the one bringing the belt now"'. 

'I do believe in Topuria, I think he's awesome, but he got here the one way, by design that the matchmakers thought he could get here by staying away from Max Holloway, that's just the truth. 

'They started to realise we have a guy in the No 2 position in Max who can destroy the field so we need to start bringing up contenders and avoiding that guy. It is relevant. I don' think Volk will be at his best but there is such a gap between Volk and the field that I'm putting my money on him.' 

So what of the fighters themselves? 

Bullish Topuria predicts he will finish Volkanovski with an early KO: 'I see myself finishing him in the first round – knockout,' he told UFC Spain. 

'It’s most likely going to be a knockout unless he dives for my legs. I’m going to put his lights out.'

And the champion told BBC Sport: 'What's getting me excited is showing Ilia. I want him to understand and feel "wow, he was levels ahead".

'Believe it or not, I don't want a first-round finish. I want him to feel like he never stood a chance, and then I'll take him out.'