Alexander Volkanovski And the Staunch Winners and Losers from UFC 290

It’s Worldwide Battle Week in Las Vegas.

So with “going dwelling” now not an possibility, the mandate for the UFC used to make sure:

Tear immense.

Dana White’s MMA colossus did so after which some, responding with a 13-bout card that included a five-bout pay-per-leer portion—branded as UFC 290—that includes a pair of championship fights and a de facto eliminator for a title shot in a 3rd weight class.

Alexander Volkanovki and Brandon Moreno have been within the roles of belt-risking champions at featherweight and flyweight, respectively, defending in opposition to period in-between champion Yair Rodriguez in Volkanovski’s case and two-time conqueror Alexandre Pantoja in Moreno’s.

Volkanovski was once dominant on the method to stopping Rodriguez in three rounds, and Pantoja made it three straight wins over Moreno and took the 125-pound belt with a carve up decision.

The B/R struggle group was once in area to soak up the motion from T-Cell Area and compiled a definitive guidelines of the extent to’s true-time winners and losers. Scheme shut a see at what we obtained proper right here up with and fall a perception or two of your preserve within the feedback part.

This approved in: Alexander Volkanovski is extremely precise.

The featherweight king defended his crown for the fifth time
and remained unbeaten in his UFC occupation at 145 kilos with a comprehensively
dominant third-spherical stoppage of period in-between claimant Yair Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was once awarded the 2nd-tier belt after a victory
in opposition to Josh Emmett on the identical UFC 284 card in February that Volkanovski moved
to 155 kilos to matter champion Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski misplaced that struggle by a slender unanimous decision, nonetheless the stage to which he pushed a heavier champion and pound-for-pound chief illustrated approved how a long way forward he’s over the putrid and file in a featherweight division the place apart he is now received six title fights and gone 13-0 within the UFC.

“Everybody that’s conscious of this sport is conscious of how unhealthy he was once, and I set that in my head to place collectively correctly,” he acknowledged. “I am the champ. I am the king of this division. No individual’s ever stopping me.”

Regardless of the reality that noticeably shorter and perceived as a lot much less dynamic than
his Mexican-born, California-basically based mostly foe, Volkanovski was once successful with
fixed stress that noticed him rob Rodriguez to the mat three cases in every of
the primary two rounds.

Rodriguez realized his most prolonged stretch of success within the
third spherical with kicks and work from the outside, nonetheless he was once hit and harm badly
by a approved hand that drove him backward to the fence.

Volkanovski right away pounced, scored properly with punches,
and secured his remaining takedown outdated to a remaining barrage of floor strikes that
introduced a rescue from referee Herb Dean at 4:19 of the third.

Within the aftermath, he advisable one different bustle at 155 kilos is
possible, or a protection in opposition to at least one different streaking featherweight, Ilia Topuria.
He and Topuria quickly exchanged phrases at cageside after the struggle nonetheless ended
the assembly with a handshake.

“I’ve proven I will probably be succesful of battle,” Volkanovski acknowledged. “I’ve proven I will probably be succesful of grapple. I’ve proven I will probably be succesful of strike with primarily probably the most sharp of them.”

Brandon Moreno approved achieved a four-section sequence—a quadrilogy—with
Deiveson Figueiredo.

And now it seems to be like love the on-again, off-again flyweight
champ is due for one different.

Already a two-time loser in opposition to Alexandre Pantoja in a
competition closing renewed 5 years before now, Moreno realized himself on the quick pause of a
carve up decision after an delusion five-rounder that appears sure to select up well-known
point out when Battle of the 12 months votes are stable six months from now.

One set up gave Moreno a 49-46 verdict, awarding him rounds
two by methodology of 5, whereas the substitute two judges gave it to Pantoja by a forty eight-47
margin, giving him rounds one, three and 5.

B/R had it 49-46 in path of the recent champion, giving
him the primary, third, fourth and fifth.

“I labored so exhausting for that,” Pantoja acknowledged. “I did not are waiting for a difficult man love that tonight. Within the first spherical I perception Moreno was once achieved. Nonetheless he saved coming again. I have been by methodology of the full lot in my life. I left the full lot that I had. I incessantly had respect for Moreno. Now or now not it is my 2nd. I want to take pleasure in it.”

Moreno misplaced by decisions in his two outdated fights with
Pantoja and was once launched from the UFC after the 2nd, nonetheless returned and began
his sequence with Figueiredo with a attraction to December 2020.

He achieved the Brazilian in three rounds in June 2021, misplaced
a decision to him in January 2022, and wrapped up with a TKO accumulate at UFC 283 in January.

Saturday’s end result was once his first loss to any individual apart from Figueiredo since Pantoja beat him.

Moreno and Pantoja engaged in a perpetual backward and forward, with
the challenger scoring a knockdown with a exhausting left within the first, Moreno
displaying quicker and stronger and succeeding on the bottom within the 2nd.
Pantoja purchased the struggle to the bottom within the third and chased submissions by methodology of
rear-naked choke and arm triangle, nonetheless Moreno once more survived and scored properly
with elbows within the fourth.

Pantoja managed a whole bunch of the fifth after scoring his sixth takedown of the struggle and operating his total floor help watch over time to 4:18, in distinction to Moreno’s 2:24 up to the mark and 117-111 edge in appreciable strikes.

“They will be speaking about that struggle for years,” ESPN’s Jon Anik acknowledged.

Israel Adesanya has himself a legit title challenger.

The 2-time middleweight champ has bustle roughshod by methodology of the 185-pound ranks throughout two title reigns, beating a whole bunch of the pause contenders convincingly and going by methodology of a few of them twice.

Nonetheless he is by no means fought Dricus Du Plessis. And now he’ll wish to.

Du Plessis staked his yell for a championship bout with an spectacular 2nd-spherical stoppage of primitive champion and two-time Adesanya sufferer Robert Whittaker and was once crediting Whittaker for his braveness and gentlemanly habits when he turned to go looking Adesanya had entered the cage.

The 2 had developed a competition from a distance attributable to back-and-forth remarks about Du Plessis being a approved African fighter—he is from and is mainly based mostly in South Africa, whereas Adesanya is from Nigeria nonetheless now lives in Distinctive Zealand—they usually went nostril to nostril with safety standing by to stop a possible fracas.

“I am African,” Du Plessis instructed Adesanya, “nonetheless I ain’t no brother of yours.”

The bustle-in appears a logical prelude to UFC 293, which is scheduled for September in Sydney, Australia.

Du Plessis was once ranked fifth within the division to Whittaker’s 2nd. Extinct champ Alex Pereira is ranked first nonetheless will struggle at mild heavyweight later this month.

The No. 3 and 4 contenders, Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori, fought one one different in June and are a blended 0-3 in opposition to Adesanya.

“I approved beat a person within the pound-for-pound rankings,” Du Plessis acknowledged. “You will wish to delete a whole bunch of feedback as a result of I am coming for that social media.”

Dan Hooker was once having to reply to the questions.

Following three losses in 5 fights outdated to Saturday’s fundamental card date with Jalin Turner—all by first-spherical finishes—the 33-one year-ancient was once listening to louder and louder whispers about retirement plans.

And when he was once on the receiving pause of a hellacious 2nd-spherical head kick and a apply-up flurry of fingers and elbows from Turner, it appeared the conversations would not be ending anytime quickly.

Nonetheless that’s when the blond-haired lightweight, whose incandescent mane was once streaked crimson from gashes advance the stare and on the forehead, staked a yell for continued future success.

The UFC’s Twelfth-ranked 155-pounder managed to survive the storm and began issuing unfavourable replies by the pause of the spherical, sending Turner wobbling spherical the cage with a left hand and within the extinguish chasing a submission with a fleet-strike rear-naked choke within the remaining 15 seconds.

They traded blows backward and forward throughout the ultimate 5
minutes in addition, nonetheless Hooker within the extinguish ran up a 43-32 edge in appreciable
strikes within the spherical that allowed him to salvage a carve up-resolution victory in
which two judges noticed him a 29-28 winner whereas a 3rd gave it to Turner by the
identical margin.

“He’s a difficult child. I respect him lots,” Hooker acknowledged. “I am so appreciative of the crimson meat up of parents that’ve hung in the back of me. Subtle cases do not closing, Dan Hooker does.”

Worthy Ten champion. NCAA champion.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Who wants wrestling?

Embellished Penn Bid mat wizard Bo Nickal arrived to his
main-card opener in opposition to slack sub Val Woodburn with the full chops needed to
rob him to the bottom and grind him to mulch.

Nonetheless after he left Woodburn wobbly legged with the primary severe approved hand he threw, it was once beautiful obvious a horizontal sport would not be appreciable.

Nickal adopted the approved with two extra lefts that dumped Woodburn to his backside, allowing Nickal to swoop in with a remaining floor shot that precipitated referee Chris Tognoni to intervene at 38 seconds, making it the extent to’s fourth sub-1:00 perform, a promotional epic.

The loss was once Woodburn’s first after he’d gone 7-0 in smaller promotions since 2020.

It was once Nickal’s fifth straight accumulate as a talented and 2nd within the UFC this one 12 months, each internal of 1 spherical, since he graduated from Dana White’s Contender Sequence in 2022.

Silent, as for what’s subsequent, he wasn’t so interested in fiery callouts.

“At this stage I do not actually care,” he acknowledged. “I’m going to rob all of them out, so or now not it is now not related. I am gonna scamper dwelling and make a alternative up my bow prepared for elk season in September.”

The 2nd was once clearly making an influence.

Extinct welterweight champ Robbie Lawler despatched his occupation off
stylish with a 38-2nd KO of Niko Designate, then stood stoically within the middle
of the Octagon as Bruce Buffer and Joe Rogan swooped in for hugs and ESPN
analysts Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier battled to go looking out the appropriate phrases.

Nonetheless as soon as an in-arena spotlight package deal of the 41-one year-ancient’s occupation highlights began, he cracked.

Lawler’s lip began quivering because the package deal began and he’d retreated to fat-on gratitude and reflection because the T-Cell Area crowd signaled its approval.

“It’s unprecedented,” he acknowledged. “I’ve had a prolonged occupation. With out them none of proper right here is possible.”

For a person whose week began alongside together with his UFC 189 showdown with Rory MacDonald being inducted into the promotion’s Corridor of Fame, the Saturday perform that obtained proper right here with a approved hand adopted by 4 straight left fingers—hooks and uppercuts—that left Designate flat on his again may additionally occasionally had been extra factual.

“There are now not any fairy tales in combating, nonetheless Robbie Lawler approved delivered one approved now,” Cormier acknowledged. “Champions scamper out on their backs, that’s approved the method it ends. Robbie Lawler purchased the prospect to modify out alongside together with his fingers up.”

It was once approved his third accumulate in eight fights since a 2016 loss to Tyron Woodley price him the 170-pound belt that he’d received in 2014 and defended twice. His most recent victory had arrive with a third-spherical KO of fellow passe Prick Diaz at UFC 266 in September 2021 and it was once adopted with a 2nd-spherical loss to Bryan Barberena at UFC 276 closing July.

“It was once a exhausting teaching camp and at the moment was once the primary day I felt precise,” Lawler acknowledged, “so I perception ‘OK, I am gonna invent one factor precise.’ I used to be landing precise photographs in some precise areas. It was once approved too noteworthy.”

Lawler finishes 11-7 within the UFC and 30-16-1 total.

“That you simply simply can also’t design it up any higher,” Anik acknowledged.

If first and well-known you do now not prevail, strive once more in any case as soon as.

That is all it took for mild heavyweight Alonzo Menifield, who shook off a design with 14th-ranked contender Jimmy Crute in February and dealt with his Australian foe within the rematch, submitting the 27-one year-ancient with a spontaneous guillotine choke at 1:55 of the 2nd spherical.

It was once the lone accumulate for 3 People combating world foes on the prelim card after Kamuela Kirk misplaced a decision to Esteban Ribovics and Terrence Mitchell was once TKO’d by Cameron Saaiman. Aussies Crute and Shannon Ross have been crushed on the undercard of countryman Volkanovski’s title protection.

Crute was once a two-level winner on one scorecard when he and Menifield met at UFC 284 in Australia, nonetheless the bout was once declared even when the substitute
two judges noticed it 28-28, attributable to a one-level deduction to Menifield for
grabbing the cage.

Neither had fought within the intervening 5 months they usually purchased approved again to back-and-forth motion in Saturday’s opening spherical, outdated to the 2nd spherical opened and Crute went for a takedown by altering ranges and seizing Menifield’s approved leg.

Menifield cinched his left arm spherical Crute’s neck all through the strive, regardless of the reality that, and locked the help in tightly enough as they tumbled to the bottom to design a submission from Crute for approved the 2nd time in his 4 occupation losses.

It was once Menifield’s third submission accumulate and first since 2021.

“I made up for (the design) tonight,” Menifield acknowledged. “We now had been working (The guillotine) this whole camp, and I used to be in a neighborhood to select up it.”

The those who place the strains generally tend to know what they’re doing.

So there was once clearly a motive Cameron Saaiman reached the cage at a -585 betting favourite mainly based mostly on DraftKings, which made him the 2nd-most sharp favourite among the many cardboard’s two preliminary segments.

The fresh-faced 22-one year-ancient was once pressured to invent some mat scrambling early in his bantamweight bout with UFC beginner Terrence Mitchell, nonetheless in the long run purchased his lanky 5’10” flattened on his stomach and rained down with left-hand strikes until referee Label Smith intervened at 3:10 of the hole spherical.

The accumulate was once his ninth straight as a talented and third within the UFC since a successful effort on Dana White’s Contender Sequence closing summer season season.

“The vitality proper right here is unreal. We had a whole bunch of adversity and I am so glad we may additionally make a alternative up it achieved,” Saaiman acknowledged. “The grappling and stand-up will probably be on fats dispute on larger phases as we swap forward.”

One different of the 4 unbeaten fighters on the prelim stage to, Jap flyweight Tatsuro Taira, who’s 13-0 as a talented, went off as a prelim-easiest -975 favourite in a 130-pound catchweight bout in opposition to Edgar Chairez and received a unanimous decision with three 29-27 scorecards.

Strawweight Yazmin Jauregui was once 10-0 nonetheless was once stopped in 20 seconds by opponent Denise Gomes.

Light heavyweight Vitor Petrino improved to 9-0, scored his seventh perform and his first submission within the early prelim finale with a head-and-arm choke over Polish passe Marcin Prachnio.

“I’ve incessantly acknowledged that I want to be a whole fighter within the UFC,” Petrino acknowledged. “I’ve incessantly instructed you, give me the cash and I’m going to set on a level to.”

Everytime you’re combating in a half of-empty area, invent one factor to select up the followers there keep in mind you.

Jesus Aguilar did it. After which some.

The 27-one year-ancient Mexican flyweight etched his title within the UFC epic books, scoring the division’s 2nd-quickest all-time KO with a traditional one-shot erasure of Shannon Ross.

It was once approved the 2nd struggle on the cardboard and obtained proper right here properly outdated to 4 p.m. native time so lots of the seats at T-Cell Area have been unfilled when Aguilar faked a left jab, lurched forward with a would-be stage commerce, and related on an overhand approved that landed flush on his foe’s unprotected jaw.

Ross right away stiffened and tumbled backward to the bottom the place apart his head crashed into the mat and precipitated a precise away, tutorial wave-off from referee Jason Herzog, sending Aguilar zooming spherical the ring shrieking with satisfaction and calling for a effectivity bonus from Dana White at cageside.

The respected time was once 17 seconds.

“It’s so unbelievable. It’s primarily probably the most sharp 2nd of my life,” acknowledged Aguilar, who’d been submitted in a single spherical in his UFC debut in February. “Ultimate time I obtained proper right here out crying. This time or now not it is approved happiness. We work this in camp the full time. The combos.”

Neither a strike was once landed, nor a takedown carried out on Jack
Della Maddalena.

Nonetheless or now not it is exhausting to yell any individual shedding larger than the Aussie welterweight did on Saturday.

The streaking 26-one year-ancient had earned 14 straight wins—together with
4 within the UFC, all by first-spherical finishes—outdated to creating the lineup for the
Las Vegas extravaganza in opposition to Sean Brady.

Brady had received 15 in a row of his preserve outdated to falling to Belal
Muhammad at UFC 280 closing October and was once coming to the Nevada because the No. 8
contender at 170 kilos to restart momentum in opposition to a person slotted six spots beneath
him within the newest rankings.

The match was once scratched eight days out, nonetheless, when Brady
sustained a left elbow harm and used to get changed a few days later by regional
newcomer Josiah Harrell.

The 24-one year-ancient’s flip within the spotlight was once short-lived, regardless of the reality that, as a routine pre-fight MRI revealed a beforehand undiagnosed affliction often known as moyamoya, a vessel dysfunction whereby the cranium’s carotid artery is blocked or narrowed.

The bout was once canceled from the cardboard fully, leaving Della Maddalena with out an opponent and Harrell, mainly based mostly on his supervisor (by methodology of ESPN) going by methodology of mind surgical procedure outdated to he is in a neighborhood to help in ideas persevering with a occupation that began in 2020 and had seen him accumulate seven straight fights contained within the distance.

Main Card

Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez by TKO (punches), 4:19, Spherical 3

Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno by carve up decision (46-49, forty eight-47, forty eight-47)

Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker by TKO (punches), 2:23, Spherical 2

Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner by carve up decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn by KO (punches), 0:38, Spherical 1

Preliminary Card

Robbie Lawler def. Niko Designate by KO (punches), 0:38, Spherical 1

Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui by TKO (punches), 0:20, Spherical 1

Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute by submission (guillotine choke), 1:55, Spherical 2

Early Preliminary Card

Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio by submission (head/arm choke) 3:42, Spherical 3

Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell by TKO (punches), 3:10, Spherical 1

Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross by KO (punch), 0:17, Spherical 1

Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Odds by methodology of DraftKings. Besides in another case illustrious, all stats by methodology of UFC Stats.

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