UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (AUS) will step into the Octagon for his fifth defense.
Volkanovski will defend his unified title against Yair Rodriguez (MEX) in the main event of UFC 290 on July 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be his fifth title defense.
The pound-for-pound (P4P) No. 2 ranked Volkanovski (25-2) last fought in February against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (RUS) in a two-weight title fight, but dropped a decision after five rounds. It was his first loss after winning 22 straight mixed martial arts (MMA) fights and 12 in the UFC. Volkanovski’s last loss in MMA was a third-round TKO against Corey Nelson in May 2013.
A well-rounded fighter who is a grappler and striker, Volkanovski is back in the featherweight division. With three title wins over Max Holloway (USA) and one each over Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo, he picked Rodriguez for his fifth defense.
Rodriguez (16-3-1, 1 no-contest) was crowned interim featherweight champion in February with a stunning submission victory over Josh Emmett (USA). A dynamic finisher, Rodriguez has memorable finishes over Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and B.J. Penn (USA). His next target is Volkanovski, who reigns atop the division.메이저놀이터
The co-main event will feature UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (MEX) defending his title against longtime rival Alexandre Pantoja (BRA).
Moreno (21-2, 6-0) will defend his newly earned championship belt. He will be looking to erase the pain of a decision loss to Pantoja in May 2018. Pantoja (25-5), on the other hand, will be looking for another win over Moreno to keep his UFC championship dream alive.