MMA featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski made his fifth successful title defence with a third-round stoppage of Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in Las Vegas; the show also featured wins for Alexandre Pantoja and Robbie Lawler
Sunday 9 July 2023 10:34, UK
Alexander Volkanovski stormed to a third-round knockout victory against Yair Rodriguez to retain his MMA featherweight crown in UFC 290 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
The 34-year-old Australian caught Rodriguez with a stunning right hand and followed it up with devastating ground strikes, prompting referee Herb Dean to end the contest with 41 seconds left in the round.
Volkanovski, who was back at featherweight following his defeat to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in February, admitted afterwards he had been concerned at the threat posed by his Mexican challenger.
"There was a bit of fear, knowing how dangerous he was," said Volkanovski after clinching his fifth defence of the title and a 26th win from 28 fights. "That's the honest truth.
"You've got to expect the unexpected, that's Yair. A couple of days ago, mindset switch - I'm the champ, I'm the king of this division, no-one was ever stopping me.
"I still want that lightweight belt. I'm still coming for that, whoever's next."
With Rodriguez enjoying considerable advantages in height and reach, Volkanovski was careful to stay out of range during the first round before taking the fight to the ground in the next.
Although Rodriguez was successful with some lightning-fast kicks, he was rocked by a punch that allowed Volkanovski to take the fight back to the mat, where he opened a cut over his opponent's eye with a vicious elbow.
A counter-right hook from the champion in the third round signalled the beginning of the end and Rodriguez was dumped on the canvas again, receiving a hail of blows before the referee stepped in.
On the same show, Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja secured a razor-thin split decision to dethrone Mexican Brandon Moreno and claim the flyweight crown following their epic five-round battle.
Meanwhile, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler brought the curtain down on a pro career spanning more than two decades with a devastating left uppercut that earned him a first-round knockout against Niko Price.
