UFC 290 Results: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez

UFC 290 delivered a title unification, a new flyweight champion and a memorable retirement fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8, 2023. Alexander Volkanovski stopped Yair Rodriguez to reaffirm his featherweight supremacy, while Alexandre Pantoja edged Brandon Moreno in a demanding five-round contest.

Volkanovski unifies the featherweight titles

Volkanovski defeated interim champion Rodriguez by TKO at 4:19 of round three. The victory unified the belts and marked his fifth successful featherweight title defense. Rodriguez’s creative striking presented real threats, but Volkanovski’s ability to combine pressure, wrestling and finishing offense ultimately settled the matchup.

The result also followed Volkanovski’s unsuccessful lightweight title challenge earlier that year. Back in his own division, he produced a decisive defense rather than leaving the championship outcome to the judges.

Pantoja wins a close championship battle

Pantoja took Moreno’s flyweight title by split decision. Two judges scored the fight 48–47 for Pantoja, while the third gave Moreno a 49–46 card. Their demanding exchanges and grappling made the co-main event one of the card’s most compelling contests.

This was not Pantoja’s first success against Moreno: he had previously beaten him in a 2016 exhibition on The Ultimate Fighter and in their 2018 professional bout. UFC 290 added championship stakes to that history and made Pantoja the new titleholder.

A breakthrough and a farewell

Dricus du Plessis stopped former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in round two, a major step in his rise toward championship contention. Dan Hooker earned a split-decision win over Jalin Turner, while Bo Nickal knocked out Val Woodburn in 38 seconds.

Robbie Lawler’s retirement bout provided an equally quick but emotionally different moment: he knocked out Niko Price in 38 seconds to close his fighting career that night. The preliminaries also featured rapid finishes by Denise Gomes and Jesus Aguilar. The complete card shows how much action took place before the two championship fights.

Complete UFC 290 results

• Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez — TKO (punches), R3, 4:19.
• Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno — Split decision, R5, 5:00.
• Dricus du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker — TKO (punches), R2, 2:23.
• Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner — Split decision, R3, 5:00.
• Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn — KO (punches), R1, 0:38.
• Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price — KO (punches), R1, 0:38.
• Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui — TKO (punches), R1, 0:20.
• Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute — Submission (guillotine choke), R2, 1:55.
• Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio — Submission (arm-triangle choke), R3, 3:42.
• Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell — TKO (punches), R1, 3:10.
• Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross — KO (punch), R1, 0:17.
• Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC 290 official results; UFC 290 official judges' scorecards; Event results record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 290, Mixed Martial Arts