Alexander Volkanovski knew his subsequent Featherweight title challenger proper earlier than he made his most up-to-date stroll to the Octagon.
Fox Sports activities reported earlier right this moment (Mon., March 13, 2023) {that a} title unification bout between undisputed 145-pound kingpin, Volkanovski (25-2), and interim titleholder, Yair Rodriguez (16-3, 1 no contest), is being focused for UFC 290 on July 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada on the T-Cell Area. MMA Mania has additionally confirmed with sources that the bout is within the works.
UFC 290 was introduced forward of the current UFC 285 pay-per-view (PPV) on March 4, 2023, that the occasion will cap off 2023’s Worldwide Combat Week. At UFC 285 two weeks in the past, former two-time Gentle Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, returned as a debuting Heavyweight, capturing the title with a flawless two-minute guillotine submission win over Ciryl Gane (watch highlights). Due to this fact, seemingly organising his first title protection towards the divisional all-time nice, Stipe Miocic, on the summer time showcase. No different pairings have at the moment been mentioned.
For Volkanovski and Rodriguez, the Featherweight champions each final fought at UFC 284 early final month (Feb. 11, 2023). Rodriguez’s bout noticed him declare the interim crown in spectacular trend, ending Josh Emmett with a second-round triangle choke submission (watch highlights). Straight after the crowning second, Volkanovski made the stroll, seeking to dethrone Light-weight champion, Islam Makhachev.
Sadly for “The Nice” Volkanovski, he got here up quick after a valiant effort. The 2 high pound-for-pound UFC fighters went toe-to-toe for the total allotted 25 minutes, leading to a contentious unanimous resolution win for Makhachev (watch highlights). Regardless of the end result, Volkanovski remained ranked because the promotion’s top-ranked UFC fighter. That was till Jones got here again and jumped over everybody along with his epic return.
