The next significant octagon challenge for Alexander Volkanovski will be against Yair Rodriguez. Volk recently discussed the reasons why he views the fight with Yair as more crucial than the one against Islam Makhachev.
Volk will face Yair Rodriguez, the interim 145-pound featherweight champion, in a title unification bout.
Alexander Volkanovski next fight?
El Pantera vs. The Great will be fighting in the UFC 290 main event on Saturday, July 8 in Las Vegas. Volkanovski recently appeared in an interview where he expressed his opinion regarding his next fight opponent.
“I always look at Yair as a more dangerous opponent for me than an Islam [Makhachev] because of that crazy, sporadic, always looking for a finish in the striking, and unpredictable behavior. It’s different.” Volkanovski said.
Alexander Volkanovski declares Yair Rodriguez his ‘most dangerous’ opponent: ‘Who’s more dangerous?’ | #UFC290 https://t.co/EYiBpYQ4rL pic.twitter.com/5OsWWrCXdv
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) June 14, 2023
UFC 284 featured a thrilling octagon match between Islam Makhachev and Volkanovski at the RAC Arena in Perth. Even though Alexander Volkanovski suffered a defeat against Makhachev in his lightweight adventure, he still considers Yair an even more dangerous opponent.
“What’s a harder fight? I’ll probably say Islam is gonna be a harder fight. But, who’s more dangerous? I’ll say Yair is more dangerous, it excites me, he’s going to have these big threats and see how I deal with them.” Volkanovski added.
Alexander Volkanovski is one of the greatest #UFC fighters ever.
Legendary IQ.
Yet, there's something about Yair Rodriguez that makes it tough to bet against him. Maybe it's the running from USADA?
And Volk is in his prime, too. #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/ZHFO2XORzF
— Kurt Arthur (@KurtArthur12) June 13, 2023
How good is Yair Rodriguez?
In 2014, Rodriguez defeated Leonardo Morales in his UFC debut. The Mexican fighter has won six straight fights in the three years that have passed since then. However, following his triumph over BJ Penn in 2017, the featherweight fighter had to go through a rough patch.
In the following four years, Yair suffered defeats to Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway. Last year, Rodriguez defeated Brian Ortega, and his most recent win has catapulted him to the number one rank in his weight division.
In a thrilling featherweight bout at UFC 284, Rodriguez defeated Joshua Emmett. El Pantera’s current goal is to defeat Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski in a title-unification fight and claim the title of undisputed 145-pound champion.
Who do you think will emerge victorious in the UFC 290 headliner? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
