The beginning of July always marks International Fight Week for the UFC and this year is sure to be a big one. UFC 290, taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8, gives MMA fans two big title fights. Here, we look at UFC 290 odds, props, and predictions.
The main event sees Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski attempt to defend his title once more, this time against Interim Champion Yair Rodriguez. In the Co-Main, Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno will take on Alexandre Pantoja, a man who has beaten him earlier in his career.
Also on the main card, Bo Nickal is priced as short as -3335 vs. Val Woodburn, per Friday’s lines at BetRivers, which would make him the largest favorite in UFC history.
UFC 290 Main Event Odds: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
Sportsbooks have Volkanovski as a large favorite in the -350 to -400 range the day before the event. Rodriguez comes in between +260 and +300.
Always shop around several sports betting apps to find the best odds for the bets you want to make.
UFC · Sat (7/8) @ 10:00 pm ET
| Yair Rodriguez | at | Alexander Volkanovski |
| T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV | ||
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UFC 290 Co-Main Event Odds: Moreno vs. Pantoja
The flyweight title bout is much closer in the odds. Champion Moreno is the favorite at around -210 odds, and challenger Pantoja is the underdog at around +175.
UFC 290 Betting Preview: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
Alexander the Great Looks To Extend His Featherweight Reign
It’s pretty much decided that Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) is already the greatest featherweight in UFC history so far.
Volk has beaten the other featherweight champions minus Conor McGregor. But that’s okay because he beat Max Holloway three times, so it probably evens out, right?
He’s coming off a loss against Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev in his attempt to become a Champ Champ. Though he lost the fight, he gained more respect and fanfare than ever before and proved that Makhachev is not quite the unbeatable Khabib 2.0 that people previously thought he was.
Plus, before Jon Jones’ return, Volk was the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world. His speed and attention to detail are unmatched in the division. He has grinded out wins, no matter what it takes.
He’s usually known for his stand-up, but his ground game has immensely improved since becoming champion back in 2019. He somehow survived a gnarly choke from Brian Ortega at UFC 266 and he ended up on top of Makhachev and dominated the ground and pound at the end of their bout at UFC 284.
Other than the three wins over Holloway and wins over Jose Aldo and Ortega, Volk has also beaten the likes of Chan Sung Jung and Chad Mendes.
The good news for the champion is that he has many up-and-coming contenders to still face as they work their way up or back up the rankings. Arnold Allen, Josh Emmett, and Calvin Kattar are just some of the names that would’ve made their way to the champ if they weren’t stopped by someone named Max Holloway or Yair Rodriguez.
Speaking of which…
Rodriguez Could Help Add To the roster of Mexican UFC Champions
Mixed-martial arts in Mexico is having a moment.
Mexico has champions in Brandon Moreno and Alexa Grasso. Yair Rodriguez (15-3 (1) MMA, 10-2 (1) UFC) is the current interim champ. That is three champions, which is tied for the most champions one country has today. The United States also currently has three champions in Jon Jones, Jamahal Hill, and Aljamain Sterling.
But does Rodriguez have what it takes to dethrone Volkanovski?
His last few fights have had ups and downs. His interim title fight against Josh Emmett was a great performance, ending with a triangle choke to finish and a belt wrapped around his waist.
Prior to that, he didn’t get a chance to show many skills in his bout against Ortega as Ortega’s shoulder got injured. And before that, he got peppered for five rounds by Holloway in a decision loss.
But you can’t really count Rodriguez out. He’s highly skilled and has notched wins over BJ Penn, Chan Sung Jung, Jeremy Stephens, Alex Caceres, and Dan Hooker.
Rodriguez has great stand-up as well and can get creative as we saw with his flash, spinning elbow knockout of the Korean Zombie. However, he can hit a quick submission too as we saw against Emmett.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the division after this fight. If Rodriguez wins, expect an instant rematch. But if Volkanovski, the heavy favorite, continues on his path, we could see current 135-pound champ Sterling move up after his fight against Sean O’Malley — win or lose.
And a fight between Volkanovski and Sterling seems like the next most appealing matchup the UFC has to offer around those weight classes.
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez Props
Method of Victory (DraftKings)
- Volkanovski by KO/TKO: +175
- Volkanovski by submission: +1100
- Volkanovski by decision: +110
- Rodriguez by KO/TKO: +550
- Rodriguez by submission: +1400
- Rodriguez by decision: +1000
Total Rounds
- 4.5 (Over -120, Under +100 at DraftKings)
Alternate Total Rounds (DraftKings)
- Over 0.5 (-5000), Under 0.5 (+1000)
- Over 1.5 (-450), Under 1.5 (+300)
- Over 2.5 (-250), Under 2.5 (+180)
- Over 3.5 (-165), Under 3.5 (+125)
Will Fight Go The Distance? (DraftKings)
- Yes: -110
- No: -120
How Fight Will End
- Submission: +600
- KO/TKO: +120
- Decision: -110
UFC 290 Main Card Odds (Caesars)
- Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski (-370) vs. Yair Rodriguez (+290)
- Flyweight Championship: Brandon Moreno (-210) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (+175)
- Middleweight Bout: Robert Whittaker (-380) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (+300)
- Lightweight Bout: Jalin Turner (-280) vs. Dan Hooker (+230)
- Middleweight Bout: Bo Nickal (-2800) vs. Val Woodburn (+1300)
UFC 290 Event Info
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas NV
Date: Saturday, July 8, 2023
Start Time: Main Card at 10 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ESPN+ PPV
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