Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: UFC 290 Odds, Prediction
The UFC is headed back to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday for UFC 290, one of the most anticipated cards of the year. In the main event, longtime featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will risk his belt against interim champion Yair Rodriguez.
Volkanovski is a -385 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Rodriguez is a +270 underdog.
Alexander Volkanovski UFC 290 Odds
Volkanovski is a dominating 25-2 in a professional MMA career that dates back to 2012. The 34-year-old Australian in 12-1 since his UFC debut in 2016 and is No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings behind Jon Jones. He has 12 career victories via knockout, 10 via decision and three via submission.
Volkanovski had a 22-fight win streak snapped in his last outing. His bid to become a double champion ended in a unanimous decision loss against Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title fight. Volkanovski is a perfect 12-0 in UFC featherweight competition, with four previous successful title defences. Aside from three career victories over Max Holloway, other UFC stars Volkanovski has defeated include Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung-Jung.
“The Great” hung around admirably in his bid for the lightweight belt at UFC 284 in February, but he ended up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision defeat. Volkanovski’s effort did land him a third career Fight of the Night bonus, however. His last featherweight fight was a unanimous decision title defence win against Holloway last July that left Holloway’s face a bloody mess.
Volkanovski averages 6.35 significant strikes landed per minute with 56 per cent accuracy. He also averages 1.52 takedowns per 15 minutes with 34 per cent accuracy and 69 per cent defence.
Volkanovski has been king of the featherweight division since 2019, so don’t expect him to be more vulnerable than usual just because he’s coming off a loss in a heavier division. He’s already cemented himself in the conversation as one of the greatest featherweights in UFC history and another dominating victory could make him the clear-cut G.O.A.T. of the division.
Yair Rodriguez UFC 290 Odds
Rodriguez is 15-3 in his career with one no contest. The 30-year-old native of Mexico has six career victories by decision, five by knockout and four by decision. Rodriguez made his UFC debut in 2014 after winning The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America lightweight tournament. He is 10-2 in the Octagon, with his only losses coming against Holloway and Frankie Edgar.
Rodriguez has won four of his last five fights, including victories over Ortega and Josh Emmett in his last two trips to the Octagon. He won by first-round TKO after Ortega dislocated his shoulder when they met last July. Rodriguez then won the interim featherweight title with an expertly executed triangle choke submission finish against Emmett at UFC 284 in February.
In addition to his wins against Ortega and Emmett, “El Pantera” has defeated big names such as Dan Hooker, B.J. Penn, The Korean Zombie and Jeremy Stephens. He has won four career Performance of the Night bonuses, including in his last fight against Emmett, and five Fight of the Night bonuses.
Rodriguez averages 4.78 significant strikes landed per minute with 46 per cent accuracy. He averages 0.79 takedowns per 15 minutes with 28 per cent accuracy and 63 per cent defence.
After eight years of hard work, Rodriguez is finally getting a title shot and don’t expect him to waste it. He’s a creative fighter who is at his best when he pushes the pace of the fight and he’s capable of capitalizing and punishing any mistakes his opponent may make. Look for Rodriguez to take full advantage of this opportunity and give Volkanovski a tough test.
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez Prediction
There’s one thing no UFC fighter has been able to do over the last seven years and that’s beat Volkanovski at featherweight. It took a jump to a heavier weight class just to snap Volkanovski’s 22-fight win streak and even that almost failed to end his winning ways. Rodriguez is a legit contender, but he’s facing one of the greatest featherweights of all time in his prime. Volkanovski wins by unanimous decision.
