ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI STOPPED Yair Rodriguez in the third round of their UFC 290 main event title bout to retain the featherweight championship.
Volkanovski — who fell short in his bid to become a two-weight champion against Islam Makhachev earlier this year — rocked interim champion Rodriguez with a big right hand as the third round neared its final minute.
The Australian then wrestled a backpedalling Rodriguez to the canvas before unleashing a series of unanswered punches that forced referee Herb Dean to intervene and wave off the fight.
Who said Volk can't finish fights?! 🤫
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 9, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski demolishes Yair Rodriguez in the third 😳#UFC290 pic.twitter.com/YpZQALAdG5
Asked what’s next after his victory, Volkanovski said: “I’ll be completely honest with you, I need to get a little bit of surgery on my arm. Going through camp was a bit of a struggle but I was always going to turn up here and do my thing.
“I’ll make sure I stay fit while I’m in recovery and I’ll be back in here soon. I still want that lightweight belt, I’m still coming for that.”
In the co-main event at Las Vegas’s T Mobile Arena, Alexandre Pantoja was crowned flyweight champion with a 46-49, 48-47, 48-47 split decision win over Brandon Moreno.
Earlier on the main card, there were wins for Dricus du Plessis against Robert Whittaker, Dan Hooker against Jalin Turner, and Bo Nickal against Val Woodburn.
