The 11th edition of the UFC's annual International Fight Week is set to take place from July 3 to July 9 in Las Vegas. The week-long festivities will include the UFC 290 pay-per-view on July 8, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and the fully immersive and interactive two-day UFC X fan experience.
While details surrounding the matchups at International Fight Week will be made official later, several high-profile bouts have been rumored. Reports suggest Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic in his first title defense as the new heavyweight champion.
'Bones' recently overtook Alexander Volkanovski as the promotion's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. However, the two top-ranked fighters could potentially compete on the same card. According to reports, 'The Great' could face Yair Rodriguez in a featherweight title unification bout at UFC 290.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The featherweight king will look to defend his title for the fifth time against interim champion Rodriguez. On the flipside, 'El Pantera' will look to become the third undisputed Mexican-born champion in promotional history, joining current flyweight champions Brandon Moreno and Alexa Grasso.
The pay-per-view in July will reportedly also see surging prospect Bo Nickal face fellow middleweight Tresean Gore. Gore recently revealed that the pair have agreed to compete on the card.
Alexander Volkanovski on Jon Jones overtaking him as the UFC's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter
Alexander Volkanovski fought a closely contested battle against Islam Makhachev in February and came up short on the official scorecards. However, the Australian featherweight's incredible performance against a grappling phenom like Makhachev resulted in 'The Great' retaining his No.1 spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Two weekends later, Jon Jones made his long-awaited return to the octagon in a heavyweight championship bout against Ciryl Gane. 'Bones' captured the title with a flawless two-minute submission win. Soon after, Jones was crowned the pound-for-pound king, replacing Volkanovski at the top.
In a recent interview with Steve-O, Volknovski stated that he understands why Jones should be at the top:
"It’s a big deal... Look at what Jon Jones has done as well. Can I really argue that? He’s gonna be one of the greatest of all time. For him to take that is like, ‘Damn it! What do you do?"
Watch the full podcast below: