Yair Rodriguez is certain Alexander Volkanovski has yet to face someone like him – and he’s unsurprised.
Despite his vast experience and long tenure as UFC featherweight champion, Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) hasn’t come across anyone similar to his style, according to Rodriguez (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC). And Saturday, in the main event of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it’ll be the first time Volkanovski fights someone with the level of unpredictability that “El Pantera” brings to the cage.
It is that precisely that which gives Rodriguez an edge over the rest of the featherweights who have tried and failed to take the belt from Volkanovski.
“I don’t know if I’m the most dangerous or not, but I just think I’m the rival that can change styles, the rival that’s more unpredictable than the rest, the rival that’s going to be the most difficult to compete against,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie in Spanish.
“I’m that rival. He won’t know if I’m coming out southpaw or orthodox, if I’m going to throw a submission, if I’m going to wrestle. It’s unknown. Often times, these styles are very set in specific ways, you already know what’s coming. I have the ability to change my fighting style to my advantage depending on my opponent. I think that’s what’s going to be difficult for Alexander Volkanovski in this occasion.”
Rodriguez enters UFC 290 with back-to-back stoppages of Brian Ortega and Josh Emmett, the latter of which won him the UFC interim featherweight title.
Volkanovski has yet to lose at featherweight in the UFC and was recently undefeated in the promotion until he fell short in a close decision against Islam Makhachev. The defeat was an attempt to capture the 155-pound title and become a two-division UFC champion.
Usually, dominant champions like Volkanovski are given immediate title rematches if they lose their belt. In this case, Rodriguez is not so sure if he’ll need to beat Volkanovski twice to remain UFC champion.
“I don’t think that depends on me,” Rodriguez said. “I think that depends on the company and on Volkanovski, as he may want to go up to 155. While I’m thinking about this fight, he’s thinking about moving up again to fight for the belt at 155. So it won’t depend on me. I’ll just let things flow and take whatever comes.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
