Oddsmakers may be underestimating Yair Rodriguez against Alexander Volkanovski, but Eugene Bareman isn’t.
Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will attempt to unify his featherweight belt with interim champ Rodriguez (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the UFC 290 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Rodriguez is a big underdog against Volkanovski, but the City Kickboxing coach sees him as Volkanovski’s sternest challenge to date. Volkanovski has defended his title against Max Holloway twice, as well as Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung.
“Personally, I think this is probably going to be Volk’s biggest test,” Bareman said in an interview with FTS MMA. “Obviously, you’ve got the length to deal with, but you’ve got just a unique approach to striking, just the way Yair breaks the rhythm and the way he does things a little bit unconventional.”
According to BetMGM, Rodriguez is a +325 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would win $325. Volkanovski is -450 favorite, meaning a $450 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit.
Bareman sees Rodriguez as a tough puzzle to solve, but thinks Volkanovski is the more well-rounded fighter which will give him the edge.
“At the end of the day, what I think will shine through is Volk’s better all-around skill set,” Bareman said. “His ability to mix it up and use the juxtaposition of both those – the wrestling and closing the distance, and the striking – using those two things together, I think having a more diverse skill set is what’s going to beat Yair. That’s Volk’s advantage.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
