When is UFC 290? Check out all the details here

The highly anticipated UFC 290 pay-per-view event is set to go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. The fight card will be part of the 11th edition of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week, which will take place from July 3 to July 9 in Las Vegas. 

This weekend’s enthralling fight card will cap the week-long MMA bonanza. The event’s main card includes two huge title fights and several pivotal matchups between fighters who always guarantee fireworks. 

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will look to defend his title against interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout in the headliner of the UFC 290 event. In the co-main event, flyweight king Brandon Moreno will face Alexandre Pantoja in the second title fight of the card. 

The main card also features a middleweight barnburner between former champion Robert Whittaker and surging contender Dricus du Plessis. Elsewhere on the card, lightweights Dan Hooker and Jalin Turner will go head-to-head with middleweight prospect Bo Nickal facing Val Woodburn. 

American fans can catch the fights live on ESPN+ pay-per-view, while Indian fans can tune into Sony TEN 1/TEN 2/TEN 3 or Sony Live at 7.30 am IST. 

Alexander Volkanovski downplays Dricus du Plessis’s chances against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 

Alexander Volkanovski recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis middleweight fight at UFC 290. The UFC featherweight champion doesn’t think that the South African sensation stands a chance against the former middleweight champion. 

Whittaker and du Plessis will fight at UFC 290 this weekend in a pivotal title eliminator. The winner of this bout is highly expected to challenge Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title next. While the Nigerian-born Kiwi has publicly stated that he’s pushing for ‘Stillknocks’ to win due to his personal grudge against the South African, many fans have lobbied for an Adesanya vs. Whittaker trilogy fight. 

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Alexander Volkanovski explained why the middleweight champion probably won’t get his wish of facing Dricus du Plessis granted. He stated:

“Look man, obviously Izzy wants new blood. He definitely would like to see Dricus go out there (and win) so that he could fight him… But beating Robert Whittaker is not going to be easy for him… Robert Whittaker is just too well rounded, he’s too good everywhere, and his skill set is gonna be too much. I think you’d be mad to think that Dricus can get it done.“