"I need to stay on my game" - Alexander Volkanovski gets real about facing 'dangerous' Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is not taking his upcoming opponent Yair Rodriguez lightly ahead of their clash at UFC 290.

Volkanovski weighed in on his upcoming fight in a video on his YouTube channel. 'The Great' mentioned that there was a narrative going around that after his impressive performance against Islam Makhachev, people started believing that moving back down to featherweight will be easy for the Australian.

Volkanovski then gave the 'dangerous' Rodriguez his due credit and stated that he had to be careful in order to defeat 'El Pantera' come fight night.

"So, this one's obviously a fun one, exciting for me," said Alexander Volkanovski. "I have seen a lot of people that were like, you know, because I went up a division and obviously, almost took out Islam and no one expected me to do that, they think me going down's just gonna be easy but mate, Yair Rodriguez is no joke. He's dangerous. I need to stay on my game."

Volkanovski added:

"Am I confident? Do I think I'm the better fighter? Of course. Do I think I can take it wherever? Yes. But, I need to be on my toes. I need to be careful. He's very unpredictable."

Volkanovski then went on to predict that he would finish Rodriguez at UFC 290.

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments from the 7:00 mark below:

In an attempt to become champ-champ, Volkanovski moved up to lightweight to challenge Makhachev for the title at UFC 284. The fight was a razor-close affair that ended with the Dagestani taking home the victory via unanimous decision.

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Renato Moicano gives his prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290

Renato Moicano believes Alexander Volkanovski will put on a dominant performance in the championship encounter against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

In a video uploaded to Reddit, the 34-year-old shared his thoughts on the upcoming title fight and said that according to him, 'The Great' will prove himself to be the superior fighter on July 8.

"[Alexander] Volkanovski gonna beat him in a very very very strong demonstration and display of skills. I don't even know what I'm saying, brother. I'm trying to put some fancy words, but f*ck that. Volkanovski is going over there and beat the sh*t out of him. That's are my thoughts."

Money Moicano predicts Volk vs Rodriguez by u/G0pherholes in ufc

Moicano was last seen in action at UFC 281 when he defeated Brad Riddell via a rear-naked choke in the first round.