It really wasn't necessary for the UFC to create an interim title at featherweight. On the same night, Rodríguez became the interim featherweight champion with a slick submission defeat of Josh Emmett-a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that the Mexican is one of the UFC's flashiest knockout artists. That status allowed him to hike up to lightweight to challenge lightweight champ Islam Makhachev for a second title at UFC 284 in February, but he lost a narrow decision to the Russian juggernaut after five competitive rounds. The long-time featherweight champion Volkanovski started this year as MMA's pound-for-pound king. Yair Rodriguez Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Imagesįights don't get much better than Alexander Volkanovski vs. We've still got a little time to wait before it all goes down in Sin City, so let's keep ourselves busy by taking a closer look at the best bits of the card. Hyped middleweight prospect Bo Nickal will kick off the main card against Tresean Gore, while the undercard features an interesting mix of former champions and red-hot contenders. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno will attempt to defend the flyweight title against his long-time rival Alexandre Pantoja.īefore the belts go up for grabs, Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis will collide in what looks like a middleweight-title eliminator, and Jalin Turner and Dan Hooker will meet in a fan-friendly clash of lightweight contenders. Headlining honors will go to undisputed featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, and challenger Yair Rodríguez, who holds the division's interim belt. One way or the other, though, it's definitely a blockbuster, topped by two title fights and a host of meaningful bouts between relevant fighters. It's hard to say whether this will go down as the UFC's biggest event of 2023 because the year is far from over. This year, the card is UFC 290, which will pack the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. It's hard to believe, but it's already almost time for the UFC's annual International Fight Week bonanza, which typically culminates with the promotion's biggest card of the year.
Alexander Volkanovski Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
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