Alexander Volkanovski continued his reign as UFC featherweight champion with a statement in Las Vegas at UFC 290. Volkanovski completely dominated Yair Rodriguez both on the ground and on the feet, and ultimately earned the finish in the third round of the fight.
Volkanovski now moves to 1-1 on the year after suffering a loss to Islam Makhachev in his quest for the lightweight title, but even in that defeat his stock and profile reached new heights. Volkanovski entered the bout in a tie for No. 1 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings.