UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez will look to upset the 145-pound apple cart when he collides with reigning division kingpin and pound-for-pound phenom Alex Volkanovski in the upcoming UFC 290 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, locked and loaded for this Sat. night (July 8, 2023) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And he’s bringing a little Mexican flair to the “Sin City” headliner.
Mexican artists from Oaxaca Jacobo and Maria Angeles customized this UFC replica belt for Yair Rodriguez.
Pretty slick. #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/joJzNPHYLh
— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) July 3, 2023
Not too shabby.
Rodriguez (15-3, 1 NC) captured the substitute strap on the same UFC 284 fight card that featured Volkanovski (unsuccessfully) challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. “El Pantera” disposed of veteran slugger Josh Emmett with a second-round triangle choke submission to capture his second straight victory.
“Personally, I think this is probably going to be Volk’s biggest test,” the Aussie’s head coach, Eugene Bareman, said in a recent interview with FTS MMA (via MMA Junkie). “Obviously, you’ve got the length to deal with, but you’ve got just a unique approach to striking, just the way Yair breaks the rhythm and the way he does things a little bit unconventional.”
To see who else is fighting at UFC 290 click here.