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UFC 290 expert picks and best bets: Insiders split on Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja

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Alexander Volkanovski goes for his sixth consecutive UFC men's featherweight title defense as he takes on interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 6 p.m.).

Volkanovski, tied for No. 1 on ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings, lost to UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in a fight for the 155-pound title at UFC 284 in February. Rodriguez, ranked No. 3 in ESPN's divisional rankings, beat Josh Emmett for the interim title on that same fight card.

In the co-main event, men's flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will put his belt on the line as he faces Alexandre Pantoja. In January, Moreno, ESPN's No. 9 pound-for-pound fighter, beat Deiveson Figueiredo to claim the belt at UFC 283. Pantoja, ranked No. 4 in ESPN's divisional rankings, defeated Alex Perez by submission at UFC 277 last July.

Brett Okamoto spoke to ESPN MMA analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the main and co-main events. ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis for the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the card.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.


Men's featherweight title: Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Yair Rodriguez