UFC announcer Jon Anik has seen plenty of massive fights come and go. That’s why he won’t be writing off Yair Rodriguez in this weekend’s headline clash against reigning featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.
Anik told MMAFighting that, while most oddsmakers heavily favor Volkanovski, Rodriguez will be far more competitive than many are expecting.
Jon Anik’s Prediction For UFC 290 Headliner
“Yair Rodriguez is the f****** man. Dominick Cruz coined him ‘one of one,’ and I’m not sure that more appropriate words have ever been used to describe an athlete.
I have no point of comparison when it comes to Yair Rodriguez. I absolutely think he’s going to be competitive against Alexander Volkanovski.”
Yair Rodriguez was crowned UFC interim featherweight champion when Volkanovski moved up to the lightweight division in pursuit of a second belt. Volkanovski ultimately lost to Islam Makhachev in a controversial split decision.
Should he defends his title once again this weekend, has no shortage of options. The most lucrative is probably another run at Makhachev, but Jon Anik believes that might well be on the back burner.
“I feel like with the Makhachev-Volkanovski rematch, you can let that marinate a little bit.
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that that fight could materialize even three or four years down the line.
I just think with the wealth of talent you have right now at 145 and 155, it’s not a strike-while-the-iron-is-hot situation.
I do believe that it’s ambitious just to think that Volkanovski is going to get completely through Yair unscathed and turn it around in October.”
Jon Anik also knows that Alexander Volkanovski wants to be the most active champion in the sport. That means fighting again, quickly, after the Rodriguez matchup.
Only thing I would say is that when we did sit down with Alex to begin the year, he said he wanted to fight four times in 2023, and I certainly believe, to quote Michael Chandler, that Volkanovski is here for a good time and not a long time.
I really think he’s trying to put training camps together and realize these paydays and not be fighting into his 40s. So I think we have to enjoy Volanovski while we can, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him try for a quick turn even if it’s a hard fight in July.”
What’s your prediction for the main event this Saturday night? Let us know in the comments.
