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          UFC 290: Volkanovski finishes Rodriguez, Pantoja dethrones Moreno

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          Alexander Volkanovski finishes Yair Rodriguez in Round 3 (1:13)

          Alexander Volkanovski forces the referee to stop the fight vs. Yair Rodriguez in Round 3 of the UFC 290 main event. (1:13)

          • ESPN
          Jul 9, 2023, 04:40 AM

          LAS VEGAS -- Alexander Volkanovski continued his reign as UFC featherweight champion with a statement in Las Vegas at UFC 290. Volkanovski completely dominated Yair Rodriguez both on the ground and on the feet, and ultimately earned the finish in the third round of the fight.

          Volkanovski now moves to 1-1 on the year after suffering a loss to Islam Makhachev in his quest for the lightweight title, but even in that defeat, his stock and profile reached new heights. Volkanovski entered the bout in a tie for No. 1 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings.

          In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja earned a split decision victory over Brandon Moreno to win flyweight gold. The bout was an instant classic as Pantoja used his ground game to hold off the strong boxing game of Moreno.

          Here's how Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim and Eddie Maisonet III saw all the action in Las Vegas: