UFC 290 Preview: Yair Rodriguez popular underdog vs. Alexander Volkanovski

7/7/2023 4:42:47 PM EST

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.

Volkanovski is the heavy pre-fight favorite at -350 at BetMGM. However, he is also five inches shorter and has a half-inch reach disadvantage against Rodriguez, who has been backed by 78 percent of the money wagered on the fight at the book. That has led to Rodriguez's odds shortening from +340 to +260 by Friday.

While Rodriguez enters the fight with momentum, he has yet to face an opponent with Volkanovski's resume in the octagon. Volkanovski fell short in his bid to become a two-division champion, but he has successfully defended his featherweight belt four times since 2019.

Six of Volkanovski's past seven fights have gone the distance. Meanwhile, Rodriguez won the interim featherweight belt by submitting Josh Emmett at UFC 284.

MORENO, PANTOJA FINALLY MEET AGAIN
The flyweight title is on the line in the co-main event, with Brandon Moreno (21-6, 9-3-2) defending his title against Alexandre Pantoja (25-5, 9-3).

Moreno will make the first defense of his second title and has won his past two fights. However, Pantoja enters on a three-fight winning streak and already boasts two wins over Moreno - by submission on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions in 2016 and by decision at UFC Fight Night in 2018.

A lot has transpired in the five years since, and Moreno does have a two-inch height and three-inch reach advantage.

Moreno is the -225 favorite and has drawn 52 percent of the total bets at BetMGM, but it's Pantoja (+175) who has been backed by 78 percent of the money.

There are three other fights on the main card Saturday:

--Dricus Du Plessis (19-2, 5-0) vs. Robert Whittaker (25-6, 15-4): The second-ranked Whittaker's only two losses in his past 15 fights have both come against top-ranked Israel Adesanya. Whittaker does face a dangerous opponent in Du Plessis, who enters on a seven-fight win streak, including five in the UFC.

It's a compelling matchup, with Whittaker owning nine knockouts and Du Plessis eight to go along with 10 submissions. Whittaker is the -275 favorite and has drawn 83 percent of the total fight bets, while Du Plessis (+300) has been another popular underdog with 84 percent of the money backing him.

--Dan Hooker (22-12, 12-8) vs. Jalin Turner (13-6, 6-3): Turner said he "learned a lot" in a couple of sessions with Khamzat Chimaev during a recent visit to Dubai following a loss to Mateusz Gamrot in his most recent fight.

Turner will be fined 20 percent of his purse after failing to make weight and declining to cut two pounds. Still, he is a big favorite at -275. Hooker (+225) has been backed by 69 percent of the money.

--Bo Nickal (4-0, 1-0) vs. Val Woodburn (7-0, 0-0): Woodburn was added on short notice after Tresean Gore dropped out after fight week began. This is only the second UFC fight for Nickal, who scored a submission of Jamie Pickett.

Nickal is a massive -2500 favorite, which has led to little action at the book. Woodburn (+1100) would offer a nice return on the investment should he score a major upset in his UFC debut, and has been backed by 97 percent of the bets and 96 percent of the money.

--Field Level Media

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