UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez

Prediction, Odds & Betting tips for UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Saturday, July 8

The main event of the UFC 290 features Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez. They battle for the UFC featherweight title, currently held by the Aussie, who has established himself as one of the most dominant champions in the organization. Though Rodriguez comes into this fight full of confidence, eager to take the throne and prove all those who projected him a superb MMA career right.

UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez Preview

Volkanovski

Volk is coming off a decision loss against Islam Makhachev in the fight for the UFC lightweight belt. He pushed Islam to the brink near the end, but that wasn’t enough for him to break the Russian. That was only a second loss in his career, with 25 victories, five of them in featherweight title bouts.

Volkanovski is a relentless puncher, one of the most vigorous in the organization. The speed and the volume of his hits are incredible, and they are always on target. Another thing that separates Volkanovski from all other fighters is his unreal cardio.

Plenty of big names are in his CV. He beat Max Holloway three times, Brian Ortega, Korean Zombie, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Shane Young, Darren Elkins, etc. And none of them endangered the Australian.

Rodriguez

With 22 years, this guy became The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America winner. At the time, he was widely regarded as the biggest prospect in the UFC. However, injuries and other setbacks have slowed down his rise toward the top, and eight years later, he received a chance to take over the division.

El Panthera is a very attractive guy to watch due to his flexible and devastating leg kicks. His taekwondo background allows him to fire legs from all over the octagon, and he often provides some spectacular highlights.

Rodriguez defeated Josh Emmet in the interim title bout in February and previously posted a win over Brian Ortega, who picked up a shoulder injury early on. His record so far is 15 wins, three losses, and one no-contest. Among others, he holds victories over Jeremy Stephens, Korean zombie, BJ Penn, Dan Hooker, etc.

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UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez Predictions

Volk is a much stronger guy than Rodriguez, in our opinion. His other advantage is versatility because, even though he isn’t a wrestling master, his skill set on the mat is at least one level higher than Rodriguez’s. They might be similar regarding speed, but punching power is absolutely on Volk’s side. That’s why we think that the Aussie will retain his belt.

Our verdict: Volkanovski wins