LAS VEGAS (AP) – After a brief spell of light flirting, Alexander Volkanovski returned to featherweight and showed on Saturday night why he’s still the best at that weight class.
Volkanovski reasserted himself as champion with a technical knockout against Yair Rodriguez at 4:19 of the third round of UFC 290.
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Rodriguez is the interim champion after Volkanovski temporarily moved up to lightweight, but the Australian has no doubt about who is the better boxer as he hit a record 26-2 in a scheduled five-round bout .
“There was a little bit of fear… knowing how dangerous he was,” Volkanovski said. “That is the honest truth. I write in the head. This week, I turned the switch off because of the respect I have for him. Now I’m a champion. I am the king of the department. No one has ever stopped me.”
Former President Donald Trump, who is running for the Republican nomination in 2024, was among those in attendance. He walked into the venue just before the main fight began, flanked by UFC President Dana White and drew cheers from the T-Mobile Arena’s 19,204-sold-out crowd. Trump shook hands with star Las Vegas Raiders defender Maxx Crosby, a big UFC fan sitting behind him. NBA champion Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray also has a floor seat.
White said the port was $9.75 million.
“I think you can’t top a better International Fight Week,” White said. “Energy is off the charts. It was a perfect night.”
Volkanovski, favorite minus 390 according toFanDuel Sportsbook, put Rodriguez (16-4) on the field near the 2nd minute of the first half and kept him there to control the pace. That became a topic as the second half played out in a similar fashion, with Volkanovski, 34, also taking several shots to Rodriguez’s face.
Rodriguez, from Mexico, then engaged Volkanovski in the third round, parrying and smashing the ground with a series of kicks to put him on the defensive. But with one minute left in the game, Volkanovski shoved Rodriguez, 30, onto the mat and punched him with both right and left before referee Herb Dean intervened.
Rodriguez was taken to the hospital.
This was Volkanovski’s first match since a unanimous decision loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on February 11. That ended Volkanovski’s 22-match winning streak, and subsequent promotion to the promotion. light in the short term, he was relegated to featherweight for this bout.
Prior to promotion, Volkanovski had won five titles in the match to make the argument undoubtedly the best featherweight of all time. He’s also joined the conversation for the current top pound-for-pound boxer, and Volkanovski is second in the official UFC rankings behind Jon Jones.
“I really came for all the records,” Volkanovski said. “I am close to achieving some of them, but there are many more goals ahead. I may be in this position right now, but I guarantee that I will be in the gym next week to work out again.”
The Volkanovski-Rodriguez match highlighted the International Fight Week card that included a second championship match.
Brazil’s Alexandre Pantoja claimed the flyweight belt by defeating champion Brandon Moreno of Mexico, winning by split, with both fighters rushed to hospital after the bout. White said Moreno broke his arm.
Referees Derek Cleary and Junichiro Kamijo gave Pantoja a 48-47 win in a five-round match, but Ben Cartlidge viewed the game completely differently, 49-46 in favor of Moreno.
Pantoja (May 26) collapsed on the carpet after the decision was announced. He beat Moreno (21-7-2) in all three meetings.
“I worked really hard,” Pantoja said. “I left everything I had.”
Moreno, the favorite with a minus 196, dominated the second half, but had a game on Pantoja’s court that was difficult to defend in the remaining four innings. Even so, the fight was fairly even for the most part, and the bloodstains on both fighters’ faces showed how well each had won.
Moreno won the belt almost a year ago and successfully defended it in January.
Robbie Lawler, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on Thursday, is set to retire with a high record after knocking out Niko Price in just 38 seconds in the first round of their welterweight bout.
Lawler, 41, ended his career with a 30-16 record and entered no competition. He broke down in tears while watching a video tribute to him after the game, and the crowd shouted his name.
“It was an arduous training camp,” Lawler said. “Nothing feels good. Today is the first day I feel good.”
