UFC 298 weigh-ins time: When will Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, and others hit the scale?

The UFC 298 weigh-in starting time, which is on Feb. 16 this Friday, is 12:00 PM ET (Eastern Time) for fans on the American East Coast and 9:00 AM PT (Pacific Time)for those who live on the West Coast. The weigh-in show will also be streamed live on UFC.com, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.

UFC 298 is among the most anticipated fight cards of the year so far. It features a star-studded cast of fighters from top to bottom, with the main card in particular drawing significant attention. The headline bout consists of Alexander Volkanovski defending his featherweight title against the undefeated Ilia Topuria.

Both men have expressed supreme confidence in their ability to emerge victorious, with each of them describing how easily they will beat the other. However, given Topuria's lack of experience at the division's upper echelon and Volkanovski's status as a pound-for-pound great, his claims have been poorly received.

In the co-main event, Paulo Costa will make his long-awaited return to the octagon by taking on Robert Whittaker in the former's first fight since 2022. The pair's contest is likely a middleweight title eliminator to determine the next title challenger following the rumored Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya bout.

Below them, controversial rising welterweight Ian Garry will finally lock horns with Geoff Neal, with the Irishman pitting his undefeated record against a hard-hitting veteran. Elsewhere, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo will clash in a likely bantamweight title eliminator with massive implications for their careers.

A win would almost certainly earn Dvalishvili a title shot, while a loss would be enough reason for Cejudo to retire from the sport. Finally, the first fight of the evening is a middleweight bout between the notoriously tough Anthony Hernandez and streaking middleweight knockout artist Roman Kopylov.

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UFC 298 features an unbeaten bantamweight prospect

The UFC 298 preliminary card plays host to Rinya Nakamura's third fight with the promotion, where he will face Carlos Vera at bantamweight. For those unfamiliar, Nakamura is an extremely high-level wrestler, a former U23 World Wrestling Champion and Wrestling World Cup bronze medalist.

He has been unbeaten thus far and has finished all but two of his opponents to build a perfect 8–0 record. At just 28 years old, he is young and brimming with potential, especially as one of Japan's few representatives in elite-level MMA.