UFC 290 has just produced an incredible card. With fun fights, finishes and plenty of surprises, one thing that wasn’t a surprise was the domination from the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Many had pointed towards Yair Rodriguez as perhaps the hardest challenge for Volkanovski in his reign thus far. Highlighting the height and reach differences as well as Rodriguez’s unique and unpredictable style of striking.
Unfortunately for the interim champion, the undisputed Volkanovski put in an exceptional display to dominate the bout for almost the entirety. Making smart decisions throughout using clever footwork and working towards the weakness of Yair, Volkanovski made it a domination.
Scoring takedowns at will. Once the fight hit the mat there was very little Rodriguez could do to get the Australian off him. As Volk used his position to unload and release relentless ground and pound. This continued into the second round and besides a short elbow off his back. Rodriguez landed few strikes worth mentioning.
In the third Yair did lift the tempo as the round played out mainly on the feet. However, while playing to his own strengths Rodriguez got caught by a stunning Volkanovski punch which wobbled the Mexican. This was the beginning of the end and the champ soon secured a takedown before unloading forcing the fight to be stopped.
Fighters Reaction
As Volkanovski continues to reign head-and-shoulders above the rest of the division. Fighters share their reactions to yet another defence from the Australian.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
