Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez
Undisputed king among the pound-for-pound beasts.
RESULT: Volkanovski def. Rodriguez by TKO (punches)
Rodriguez starts off with a barrage of high kicks, failing to strike Volk. An official timeout as Volkanovski’s head clashes with Rodriguez’s jaw. Rodriguez stuns Volkanovski with a sharp elbow and he gets a riposte of thunderous measure. Volkanovski enters beast mode as he smites Rodriguez to the cage before landing a stunning takedown. A barrage of knocks to the head and poof! Volkanovski retains the featherweight title without breaking a sweat!
The fighters exchange some early kicks and Volkanovski ducks underneath a high kick before copping a mild one in the follow-through. A firm hook from Volkanovski unsettles Rodriguez who is caught in another hold on the feet. Volkanovski converts another takedown and lands some important elbows that has opened up Rodriguez. Volkanovski attempts to make more ground but the round ends with Rodrigues reeling behind.
Main event underway. Volk stands pretty upright as Rodriguez swivels around. Takedown by Volkanovski as he blocks out a high kick from Rodriguez. Rodriguez has no way ou as Volkanovski continues his hold over the Mexican. A pretty sedate round comes to an end.
Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez are moments away from their title clash. Rodriguez approaches the Octagon first. And in comes Volkanovski.
Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja
RESULT: Alexandre Pantoja DEFEATS Brandon Moreno by split decision to become the new UFC flyweight champion.
Pantoja takes the early lead with a few low elbows on a crouching Moreno. Three minutes left in this fight. Pantoja climbs on the back of Moreno for a chokehold. Moreno leans himself to the cage to evade pressure and Pantoja continues to attempt a few elbows. A minute on the clock. And Moreno holds on as the fighters complete the distance.
Moreno looks rejuvenated as he sends in a few hooks. Another takedown from Pantoja after a quick elbow. His fourth takedown of the night - his best haul in a UFC fight. Moreno bides time but wriggles back to the top, attempting another submission. Pantoja smartly gets back on and both fighters look wobbly on the feet as the buzzer ticks off.
An official timeout early in the round as Pantoja’s high knee hits Moreno in the groin. Pantoja pushes Moreno towards the cage after a brief halt and lands him in a hold on the ground from behind. And with some struggle, Moreno turns the tide on Pantoja to get back on his feet. Moreno beats Pantoja’s fledgling defence with some manic jabs. Pantoja floors his opponent again before Moreno gets on top but eats some sharp elbows from the Brazilian.
Left hook, right hook and a high kick early from Pantoja. But Moreno strikes back with a sharp jab to the face. And Moreno slides in a deft takedown from the back and skims low for a chokehold. He holds on and gets back on his feet. He is shaken as Moreno sends in a slew of elbows. Pantejo’s levels are dropping rapidly. Pantejo attempts to break the rut with another aerial kick but Moreno preattempts and knocks him back to the ground as the buzzer goes off.
Moreno charges straightaway and has Pantoja on the grill. Pantoja breaks free of the stranglehold and Moreno nearly trips off a low kick from Pantoja. A lightning quick takedown from Pantoja but he fails to push in with some decision elbows and Moreno survives by the skin of his teeth. Pantoja has battered Moreno’s face and he follows up with a high knee. Another attempted high kick from Pantoja and Moreno reacts quickly to save his face before the end of Round 1.
Brandon Moreno key info
- Tied-second most title fight wins in flyweight history - 3
- Tied-fourth most wins in flyweight history - 9
Alexandre Pantoja key info
- Tied-third most finishes in flyweight division - 6
- Fourth-highest strike accuracy among active flyweights - 48.4 percent
- Tied-fourth most wins in flyweight history - 9
Brandon Moreno, the flyweight champion, is set to take on Alexandre Pantoja in the title fight up next.
Robert Whittaker vs Dricus du Plessis
RESULT: du Plessis def. Whittaker by TKO (punches); Round: 2, 2:23s.
An Adesanya-du Plessis clash!
Some early hooks from du Plessis puts Whittaker on the backfoot. du Plessis with a firm hook and that’s put Whittaker in a daze. du Plessis cashes in and brings out a blitz that KOs Whittaker! The middleweight champion Israel Adesanya stands up to have a clearer view of the finish as Whittaker climbs up the Octagon and has a chat with former US president Donald Trump.
Here goes. Whittaker is quick to a sharp high kick first up. du Plessis is employing a solid defence before Whittaker spears in and completes a takedown. Tremendous restraint with the occasional hook from both fighters. du Plessis locks in Whittaker and flips one leg to take him down before landing an elbow. A series of punches and Whittaker is split open on the right of his face towards the end of the round.
Robert Whittaker key info
- Former middleweight champion
- Fourth-most significant strikes in middleweight history
Dricus du Plessis key info
- Longest active win streak in UFC middleweight division - 5
- Highest significant strike rate in middleweight history
- Finished 18 of 19 wins; 8 KOs, 11 submissions
As du Plessis limbers up to take on Whittaker, here’s what he had to say about his goals in the Octagon:
Du Plessis confident of finishing off Whittaker, says ‘I’ll be the next champion’
Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker
RESULT: DAN HOOKER DEFEATS JALIN TURNER BY SPLIT DECISION - (28–29, 29–28, 29–28)
Hooker turns on the heat with a series of punches before Turner manages to push him down. Nimble work from Hooker to evade a submission chain and he rises back to his feet. Hooker combines his might for a superb rally and he has Turner on the ground now. And the fighters fo the distance after an epic onslaught.
Turner lands a sharp left hook and follows with a firm low kick. Turner opens up Hooker with a straight smash to the nose and grapples him into a swirl but Hooker manages to hold his shape. Hooker forces Turner to the cage with a sensational burst of punches and he now has him pinned to the ground with seconds left on the clock. Hooker has Turner on the choke but the latter just manages to hold on as the buzzer goes off.
Hooker and Turner start things off with an exchange of low kicks. A time-out as Hooker kicks Turner in the groin. A flat left kick from Turner as Hooker advances for a jab. A sedate start two minutes in and Hooker continues his attempts with a few kicks. Turner latches onto Hooker’s attempted high kick and serves him a few nasty hooks. Some serious exchanges towards the end as the fighters see off Round 1.
Jalin Turner key info
- Second-largest significant strike differential among UFC lightweights
- Third-highest KO rate among active UFC lightweights (0.91 per 15 min)
- Finished all 13 wins; 9 KOs, 4 submissions
Dan Hooker key info
- Tied-fifth highest takedown defense in UFC lightweight history (90 percent)
- One out of 10 front kick KOs in UFC history
- Finished 18 of 22 wins; 11 KOs, 7 submissions
A catchweight bout between Jalin Turner and Dan Hooker is up next after Nickal’s manic finish.
Val Woodburn vs Bo Nickal (Nickal def. Woodburn, TKO)
Bo Nickal reacts after his TKO finish in just 38 seconds of Round 1 against Val Woodburn at UFC 290. | Photo Credit: UFC
Nickal smears Woodburn with a terrific right hook to the face and unleashes a series of swipes that wipes Woodburn off his feet. A sensational win for Bo Nickal as he hands Woodburn his first UFC defeat in just 38 seconds!
Bo Nickal key info
- Three-time NCAA Div. 1 National Wrestling champion (Penn State)
- Finished all four wins - three submissions
Val Woodburn key info
- Undefeated since UFC debut
- Three first-round finishes
- Finished five of seven wins - all KOs.
Val Woodburn takes on Bo Nickal in the first main event fight.
Main card
PRELIMS
- Welterweight: Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price; KO (punches); Round: 1; Time: 0:38
- Catchweight: Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Cháirez; Decision (unanimous) (29–27, 29–27, 29–27); Round: 3; Time: 5:00
- Women’s Strawweight: Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui; TKO (punches); Round: 1; Time: 0:20.
- Light Heavyweight: Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute; Submission (guillotine choke); Round: 2; Time: 1:55
EARLY PRELIMS
- Light Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio: Submission (arm-triangle choke); Round: 3, Time: 3:42.
- Bantamweight: Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell: TKO (punches); Round: 1, Time: 3:10
- Flyweight: Jesús Santos Aguilar def. Shannon Ross: KO (punch); Round 1: Time: 0:17.
- Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk: Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28); Round: 3; Time: 5:00.
PREVIEW
The main event of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday will feature featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against interim champion Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout.
Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) enters his title defense with only two career defeats -- one at welterweight and the other against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in his most recent bout. Meanwhile, Rodriguez (16-3, 10-2) has won his past two fights.
UFC 290 - Full fight card
Main card
Where can I watch the UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez?
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs Rodriguez can be streamed live on the SonyLIV app/website. The event will also be shown live across the Sony Sports Network.
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