UFC 290 fights not to miss as Alexander Volkanovski fights Yair Rodriguez in main event

International Fight Week is always one to circle on the calendar and the 2023 edition is no different, with Alexander Volkanovski taking center stage.

The featherweight champion will take on the unpredictable Mexican Yair Rodriguez in the main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

But the main map and pre-lims are chock-full of high-quality matchups worth checking out.

Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja battle for the flyweight belt in the co-main event, while middleweight contenders Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis try to mount a showdown with Israel Adesanya.

Elsewhere, Robbie Lawler, a legend of the sport, will have an emotional farewell in his final fight before retirement.

Mail sports takes a look at the best fights outside of the main event ahead of the biggest map of the year yet.

Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja

Flyweight title fight

You know it’s a meaty card when the UFC puts two title fights on top.

Moreno is the champion, but will come into this with lingering doubts as Pantoja has beaten him before.

The unanimous decision in 2018 may matter little now as both men have developed since then, but the Brazilian thinks his Mexican opponent will be surprised how much better he is now.

“I look him in the eye and I know where to push,” he told Trocação Franca.

Brandon Moreno is out to defend his flyweight title this weekend in the co-main event

“A lot of people say how much he’s evolved — and no doubt he has — but I’ve been with American Top Team for five years now and I know how much I’ve evolved too.

“I know he’s a different fighter, and that’s exactly what I expect. I really want to fight the best Moreno possible, you know? I’m sure he’ll give it to me. He defeated Deiveson Figueiredo dominantly.

“He took out Kai Kara-France, a very aggressive fighter who was making some noise in the division, with a clean knockout.”

Three impressive wins on the trot against Manel Kape, Brandon Royval and Alex Perez have elevated Pantoja to a worthy contender.

He is versatile and can end a fight on the ground or feet just like his opponent, which should make for a brilliant five-rounder.

Alexandre Pantoja, pictured signing his new contract, has beaten Moreno before

Robert Whittaker v Dricus Du Plessis

middleweight

This is a sensational fight in the middleweight division.

Can Du Plessis, who has played a good game and won all five of his UFC bouts so far, show that he is a legitimate contender for the title?

His form has earned him the questionable prize of meeting one of the best in the game. “The Reaper” comes up short every time he faces Israel Adesanya, but there is little doubt that he is the second most talented man in the weight class.

Du Plessis has looked sloppy at times and there are real question marks over his gas tank. But he won every time to win.

Those cracks in the armor will be poorly exposed by Whittaker if they are still there.

Robert Whittaker is elite and comes in his fight with Dricus de Plessis as the big favorite

Whittaker is an incredibly hot favorite to come out on top, with the bookies putting Du Plessis at 6/1.

But the Aussie is wary of that lack of expectation that liberates his opponent.

He told MMA Fighting, “He is the unknown. I understand the dangers he poses because not only is he versatile and an athlete, he’s a big guy physically, he’s not a little guy. He has nothing to lose, everyone has already washed him.

“He’s the underdog in this fight and tell me something more dangerous than a man who has nothing to lose, everything to gain,” he continued.

And to show respect for the danger he brought, I’ve been training like crazy for the past 14 weeks and may the best win. He’ll get the best version of me next weekend.’

Du Plessis expects to be the underdog here, but also expects this to be the fight he throws off that tag.

“My opponents don’t match his,” he said. “The number of fights is wrong. He’s had the belt. He has fought the champion twice. He hasn’t lost to anyone else in almost ten years. Yes, he deserves to be the betting favorite, 100 percent.

‘I’m not offended by it at all. For me, this is where I take over. This is where I become the betting favorite. This is a fight that puts me on that level. This is one hundred percent my time.’

Du Plessis has won every fight in the UFC to date and is a powerful, versatile opponent

Jalin Turner vs Dan Hooker

lightweight

Dan Hooker’s brief featherweight experiment ended in disaster last year with his demolition by Arnold Allen in London before returning to winning ways at 155 pounds.

The Kiwi defeated Claudio Puelles with a nasty body kick to face a dangerous foe in Las Vegas this weekend.

Jalin Turner is tipped by many to be a future champion, but got his first real bump in the road last time.

Mateusz Gamrot overshadowed him by split decision, but a win over a big name like Hooker would propel Turner back into the top 10.

He is currently ranked No. 11, with Hooker one spot behind him, so this is a bit of a gate fight for both men that will lead to bigger things.

Dan Hooker is targeting another run on the lightweight belt that has returned to 155 pounds

Hooker has clashed with the elite before and came up short. Dustin Poirer, Allen, Michael Chandler and Islam Makhachev all waved him goodbye.

But the Auckland native is still only 33 and believes he can get another run on the belt.

“Such a win over Turner, you’re back in the top 10, you’re back in the mix. People are back on the train,” Hooker told Submission Radio.

“That’s the beauty of this sport. You can change your life in one night and that’s how I feel things go here.

“I’m just looking forward to that, I’m excited for the game. I wonder how everyone reacts to it.

“I already know how it’s going to go. There’s no questioning how this night will go.’

Robbie Lawler v Nico Price

Welterweight

The word legend is overused far too often, but there’s no question that Robbie Lawler qualifies.

He is a future Hall of Famer and the former welterweight champion is an emotional farewell from the UFC this Saturday.

Two stints in the UFC, 46 professional fights, five Fight of the Nights, one Fighter of the Year award and 21 knockouts – the numbers tell the story.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a career for Lawler with quite a few hits along the way.

But he will be remembered because at his peak he was a hugely intimidating KO performer who fought one of the greatest fights of all time against Rory McDonald in 2015.

Robbie Lawler (left) defeated Nick Diaz in a rematch 17 years in the making on Saturday

It’s probably the right time to call it a day now.

He defeated Nick Diaz last year for his first win in four before slipping back in the losing streak to Bryan Barberena.

Lawler is now 41 and his long-term health should be the priority. He’s up against Niko Price, who is eight years his junior and chasing only his second win in six.

The Las Vegas audience would love to see Lawler roll back the years and make his way to raise his hand one last time.

He says he realized it was time to call it a day that recovery time between training sessions was days longer than before.

The body slowly breaks down and it seems like a fitting stage to say goodbye to.

Jack Della Maddalena vs Josiah Harrell

Welterweight

Maddalena was originally supposed to fight Sean Brady in what would have been an incredible match.

But Brady had to withdraw late after suffering from Streptococcus B in his left elbow.

Maddalena is an emerging force in the division at 26 and would have elevated herself to another level with a win over No. 8 Brady.

The fighter from Perth is currently ranked No. 14 and has won all four of his fights in the UFC.

Jack Della Maddalena prepares for a late substitution at UFC 290

Unfortunately, he now misses the chance to make a leap forward, but he can still impress, with the late replacement called in to save the fight.

Josiah Harrell or ‘Muscle Hamster’, as the American wrestler is called, has been called up.

He will be out to spoil the party and is coming in with a lot of momentum after winning a fight in another organization last week.

Notably, he drove his opponent through the cage door during that fight before finishing him off in the third round.

Maddalena has won 14 times in a row and it would be a huge upset if ‘Muscle Hamster’ can spin his wheel.

‘Muscle Hamster’ enters the fray with Maddalena as a late replacement