Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez UFC 290 Paradise Las Vegas Fight Video Full HD Free Stream Replay Part A

At UFC 290 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, interim champion Yair Rodriguez will square off against current titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, putting the undisputed featherweight gold on the line.

Rodriguez defeated Josh Emmett at UFC 284 to win his interim championship. In an effort to achieve double-champion status, Volkanovski lost a competitive victory to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on the same night.

The UFC 290 main event on Saturday will be the seventh straight five-round fight for Volkanovski and the sixth in a row for Rodriguez in his previous seven bouts.

Against Makahachev, Volkanovski suffered his first loss since 2013 and his second career setback. The Australian will now make his way back to featherweight, where he dominates the competition.

Volkanovski has defended the 145-pound strap four times( twice against Max Holloway), but the division still needs to be cleaned up. An intriguing test is presented by a potential challenge from bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.

Volkanovski still has a lot of exciting fights to fight at featherweight, including rising contender Ilia Topuria, but on Saturday, the exciting Rodriguez will have his chance.

I'll outline my analysis and projections for the UFC 290 title fight on Saturday( ESPN+ PPV, with main event walkouts at roughly 11:55 p.m. ET) below and use those factors to place bets on Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez's main match.

Volkanovski is used to navigating a reach difference against taller and longer kickboxers because he is typically shorter than his opponents. Rodriguez should have an advantage in kickboxing range with his long legs and variety of strikes, even though the reach in this matchup is even at boxing distance.

In order to create gaps for his punches, Volkanovski typically spams leg kicks and feints from the outside against his opponents. However, if he tries to strike from outside, Rodriguez's dynamic kicking game will need to be taken into consideration.

In the pocket, where he has better hands and can balance out the leg reach discrepancy, the Aussie will have much more success.

Volkanovski is unquestionably the better boxer, and if he can knock Rodriguez to the ground with leg kicks early and eventually render him immobile, then that makes him a very dangerous opponent( 53% striking defense).

In comparison to Rodriguez's 46% accuracy, 53% defense, and 99 combined, Volkanovski is the striker who is far more effective: 56% accurate, 559% defensive, 115 combined number. Volkanovski out-lands his opponents by 2.95 strikes per minute, a 74-strike advantage over the course of the 25-minute fight.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, has a 19-strike advantage over 25 minutes, or+ 0.75 strike differential per minute.

The champion consistently exerts pressure on his opponents and overwhelms their decision-making process with feints and movement. He also has excellent cardio.

In a protracted strike, I would still prefer Volkanovski, but I was unable to reach the current moneyline pricing.

Volkanovski's chin is the one potential weakness he has displayed. Volkanovski has been knocked down or wobbled in the past, most notably by Chad Mendes and Max Holloway, just like Kamaru Usman, who had several stumbles before being kicked out by Leon Edwards.

Rodriguez could catch Volkanovski with an elbow, head kick, or flying knee and put the champion on skates even though he lacks the same punching power or accuracy as those two fighters. Rodriguez plays an unconventional offensive game, and at some point during the battle, he might land hard and heavily on Volkanovski.

However, I find it difficult to imagine Yair consistently winning this fight unless his takedown defense( 63% career) has significantly improved, barring a fight-changing shot. If Volkanovski decides to switch levels, he retains all of the grappling advantage in this fight and appears to be able to land takedowns at will while standing up for some vicious ground and pounding.

Volkanovski can defend his significant favoritism if he struggles. If Volk doesn't or is unable to wrestle effectively, he should still be the better striker. However, those exchanges might present Rodriguez with a chance to eliminate him or maintain the fight's level of competition.

Volkanovski might also have a few opportunities for free top time during the fight if he takes advantage of Yair's style, which occasionally causes him to slip and fall to the canvas after hurling an outrageous technique.