Marc Raimondi, ESPN Workforce Editor
LAS VEGAS — Yair Rodriguez had his perfect day of the battle, touchdown a grazing proper head kick that snapped Alexander Volkanovski‘s head again, after following with a mix, together with a left that landed flush to Volkanovski’s jaw.
Volkanovski nodded his head in acknowledgment of the blows. Next, he delivered a bruising proper hook of his personal that harm Rodriguez badly. Volkanovski went in for the takedown and fired off a barrage of bulky punches from lead place en path to a TKO at 4:19 of the 3rd around Saturday in the principle tournament of UFC 290 at T-Cell Area.
With the victory, Volkanovski retained the UFC featherweight name. Rodriguez got here in because the period in-between featherweight champion.
“I’m the king of this division,” Volkanovski mentioned in his postfight interview within the Octagon. “No one is ever stopping me.”
Prior to UFC 290, ESPN had Volkanovski join for Disagree. 1 on its pound-for-pound MMA listing with UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev. At featherweight, Volkanovski used to be ranked Disagree. 1, and Rodriguez used to be Disagree. 3.
Volkanovski mentioned some “fear” crept in throughout this coaching camp, as a result of how potent and inventive Rodriguez’s offense can also be. Rodriguez, taller than Volkanovski, is a placing specialist who assaults from all angles with all of his guns, from fists to elbows to knees and whipping kicks. It surely didn’t support Volkanovski that the family used to be overwhelmingly in partiality of Rodriguez with a number of Mexican warring parties like Rodriguez at the card in an department with a massive Mexican American family.
However Volkanovski mentioned he used to be ready to show a transfer this date and concentrate on the duty handy.
“You’ve gotta expect the unexpected,” Volkanovski mentioned. “That’s Yair. Anyone who knows this game knows how dangerous he was.”
Volkanovski (26-2) moved as much as problem Makhachev in his earlier battle, shedding in a related unanimous choice. He mentioned this is nonetheless a battle he needs indisposed the street, however he most probably wishes surgical operation on his proper arm. Volkanovski mentioned he nonetheless want to battle sooner than the top of the era.
The Australian-born fighter had received 22 immediately fights sooner than the loss to Makhachev, together with his first 12 within the UFC. Volkanovski, 34, has been UFC featherweight champion since beating Max Holloway at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, 2019. This used to be his 5th a success UFC featherweight name protection. Volkanovski is 11-0 within the UFC at 145 kilos.
“You talk about well-rounded,” Volkanovski mentioned. “I’ve shown I could grapple and wrestle and strike with the best of them. I’m coming for all the records. … The sky is the limit.”
Rodriguez (15-4, 1 NC) received the period in-between name through beating Josh Emmett by means of second-round submission at UFC 284 in February. The fighter from Chihuahua, Mexico had received two in a row and 3 of 4 coming in. Rodriguez, 30, had just one loss since 2017 sooner than Saturday.
