Ranking the 5 most interesting fights at UFC 290

The UFC has quite the offering for its annual International Fight Week pay-per-view event.

UFC 290 will feature two title fights Saturday in Las Vegas, pitting featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against interim champ Yair Rodriguez in the main event and flyweight king Brandon Moreno opposite Alexandre Pantoja in the co-headliner. There are several other solid matchups throughout the 14-fight slate, including a potential middleweight title eliminator.

Below, we rank the five best based on how intriguing each matchup is on paper.

5. Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price

If you want to witness Lawler in action one last time, then you best tune in this weekend. The former UFC welterweight champion is making his final walk to the Octagon before calling time on his legendary career. Though he isn't the same fighter who shook up the 170-pound division in 2014 with a thrilling, unlikely title run that included numerous "Fight of the Year" candidates, Lawler still knows how to put on a show. His recent fights against Bryan Barberena and Nick Diaz provided plenty of entertainment, and the matchup against Price will surely be no different.

4. Jalin Turner vs. Dan Hooker

This fight could be Hooker's last shot at becoming a real lightweight contender again. He was in the top five a few years ago but fell off a bit after a couple losses. He then took a featherweight fight, losing badly to Arnold Allen. Hooker returned to the win column (and the lightweight division) in November with a second-round finish of Claudio Puelles, and he finally has some momentum again. Big things are in store if he upsets the No. 11-ranked Turner. If not, he'll likely have to accept being a gatekeeper for the rest of his career.

3. Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja

The first of two title fights at UFC 290 ultimately falls short of the final non-title bout on the card. However, it's still an awesome matchup that's extremely competitive on paper. Pantoja has beaten Moreno twice (once in a "The Ultimate Fighter" exhibition bout, and once in a pro UFC fight), but the last time they fought was in 2018. A lot has changed since then. Most notably, Moreno has become one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. We'll see if Pantoja still has what it takes to beat him. Add in the fact that flyweight fights are usually very exciting, and this is clearly one of the can't-miss fights at UFC 290.

2. Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis

Whittaker is looking to defend his position as the second-best middleweight in the world. If he gets his way, this will be a tactical, composed fight - that's the kind of fighter Whittaker is. But Du Plessis is a chaotic wrecking ball who wants to shake up the division. He may be a big underdog, but his unorthodox style and heavy power could make things interesting. UFC president Dana White has said the winner of this fight will next challenge middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, though that doesn't seem to be a guarantee. The promotion wants Adesanya's next fight to be at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, just two months after UFC 290. That could be too quick of a turnaround for either Whittaker or Du Plessis.

1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez

The UFC 290 main event is also the people's main event. Volkanovski is the longtime, dominant champion at 145 pounds, but if anyone can pull off the upset right now, it's probably Rodriguez. The challenger has long been known as a dynamic, powerful striker, and he's finally put everything together. Rodriguez scored his first UFC submission victory in his most recent fight, tapping out Josh Emmett in February to claim the interim belt. He is more well-rounded than ever, and if you add in how dangerous the Mexican has always been, Volkanovski will have to be firing on all cylinders to keep the belt around his waist.