Alex Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez Prediction: Volkanovski will keep his cool

UFC 290, which is taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, features a bout between Alex Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez as international fight week resumes. As there can only be one king at featherweight, the main event will be capped off with the current king of 145 pounds in the UFC, Alexander Volkanovski, who will be attempting to defend his throne against Yair Rodriguez, who is currently the interim champion.

Alexander Volkanovski enters the main event of UFC 290 as the betting favorite with the majority of online gambling platforms. It is easy to understand why this is the case, considering that he is widely considered to be the best MMA fighter to compete at 145 pounds ever and that he dominated the featherweight division for a significant portion of his career. Alex Volkanovski has an excellent record of 25 wins and 2 defeats. He has defeated his opponents via knockout in 48% of his victories and has submitted them in 12% of those victories. The fact that he has a completion percentage of sixty percent overall is evidence of his ability to give thrilling performances on a consistent basis all throughout his fruitful career. However, Alex Volkanovski is coming off a defeat that he suffered at the hands of current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in February. This was Volkanovski's first loss in 23 fights, continuing a streak of success that dates back ten years.

Even though he has only lost twice in 13 UFC fights to Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway, Rodriguez has been known for a long time for having both great moments and bad ones. When the 30-year-old Mexican fought Holloway in 2021, everything seemed to change. Even though he lost a close decision, Rodriguez did more damage and showed that he belongs with the best at 145 pounds. After beating Ortega with a shoulder injury and Emmett for the interim title, both of which ended in a halt, it was clear that Rodriguez had grown up enough to stop making big mistakes without losing the danger he brings. Before his current run, Rodriguez had UFC wins over Dan Hooker, Andre Fili, BJ Penn, "The Korean Zombie," and Jeremy Stephens, which is pretty impressive. Even though beating Volkanovski would be the biggest win of Rodriguez's career and could lead to a repeat with Holloway, he is the underdog in this match, which makes sense given Volkanovski's long run of success.

Given the quality of these two competitors, this battle should be exciting from start to finish. However, this is a fight Volkanovski should win if he performs at even a fraction of his potential. He's more accomplished at the championship level and has been for a while, and he outperforms the Mexican in every category. His skills and abilities at the highest level are well documented, and few can stop him when he's in full voice. It is prudent to favor the champion for another title defense, even though the bout could be decided by knockout or decision. In addition, despite the fact that this fight is anticipated to be tough, I do not believe that it will be too long before a victor will emerge; as a result, betting on the number of rounds that will be fought is an additional option that should be highly explored.