Volkanovski retains, Du Plessis defeats Whittaker

Alexander Volkanovski once again underlined why he is considered one of the all-time MMA greats after an impressive victory over Yair Rodriguez to successfully defend his featherweight championship in the main event of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 9 July 2023.

‘Volk’ dominated the opening two rounds, with Rodriguez enjoying a better showing in the third – until he was caught by a brutal right hook, with the champion then driving his opponent to the fence, body slamming him and forcing a referee’s stoppage with a flurry of blows from up top.

“Through camp, there was a bit of fear there, fear of his striking,” said Volkanovski, who moved to 26-2 in his professional career. He added, “A couple of days ago, mindset switch: I’m the champ, I’m the king of this division, no one was ever stopping me.”

In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja defeated Brandon Moreno for the third time (including an exhibition match in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’) and became the new flyweight champion of the world. The Brazilian emerged victorious in a brutal back-and-forth war, taking the fight on a split decision (46-49 48-47 48-47) thanks to his striking dominance in round one and edging the grappling exchanges through the remaining four – all while absorbing some thunderous blows from Moreno.

“I’m working so hard for that,” said ‘The Cannibal’ in his post-fight interview, before explaining that he grew up in a single-parent home: “I left everything I have. My Mom [took] care of me and my two brothers alone, you know. Now, Dad, you're proud of me, Dad. You're proud of me.”

DU PLESSIS ON COLLISION COURSE WITH ADESANYA

Another major highlight of the event saw South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis claim an emphatic TKO win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. ‘Stillknocks’ overpowered ‘The Reaper’ to earn a shot at the division title against Israel Adesanya, stopping his opponent almost midway through the second round on the back of a clubbing straight right that took Whittaker off his feet.

Adesanya and du Plessis faced off in the Octagon after the fight, with the former sarcastically calling the latter his “African brother” in reference to the South African’s previous criticism that Nigerian-born New Zealander is not a true representative of the African continent.

The main card also featured a TKO win for Bo Nickal over Valentine Woodburn in the middleweight division, as well as a thrilling split-decision triumph for Dan Hooker over Jalin Turner in a catchweight clash at 158 lb.

The UFC continues next weekend with a Fight Night set for the morning of Sunday 16 July, headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva.

UFC 290 – Main card results

- Main event: Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez via TKO (punches), R3, 4:19

- Co-main: Flyweight Championship: Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (46-49 48-47 48-47), R5, 5:00

- Middleweight: Dricus du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker via TKO (punches), R2, 2:23

- Catchweight (158 lb): Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

- Middleweight: Bo Nickal def. Valentine Woodburn via TKO (punches), R1, 0:38