In the main event of UFC 290, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his title against interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez. The fight was highly anticipated, with many fans and analysts expecting a close and exciting matchup. However, Volkanovski proved to be too much for Rodriguez, dominating the fight from the start until the finish in the third round.

Volkanovski's game plan was clear from the beginning: use his superior wrestling and grappling to control the fight and wear down Rodriguez. He executed this plan to perfection, taking Rodriguez down repeatedly and controlling him on the ground. Rodriguez had no answer for Volkanovski's grappling, and was unable to mount any significant offense throughout the fight.

In the later rounds, Volkanovski began to open up with his striking, landing several hard shots that visibly hurt Rodriguez. Despite this, Rodriguez showed incredible heart and toughness, refusing to go down until one right hand hurt him badly in the third round Volkanovski opened up with a barrage of strikes then a well-timed takedown and then followed up with some ground and pound for the finish.

Volkanovski put on one of the best performances that we have seen from him against one of the most dangerous fighters in the featherweight division. He has stated that he will need surgery on his arm so he will be out for a while but when he gets back it will be interesting to see what he has his eyes set on. Let's take a look at what could be next for the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski has been wanting to run this back since losing a close unanimous decision to the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Most didn't give Volkanovski much of a chance in the fight but at the end of the fight, most had him defeating the lightweight champion. The fight was so close between these two that if Volkanovski wanted to attempt to be the next double champ you can't deny him. He is already the No. 2 pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC and the featherweight GOAT so giving him this opportunity to cement his legacy even more as one of the greats in this sport is a must if he wants it.

Ilia Topuria

The undefeated Ilia Topuria has been making waves defeating everyone on his path to the top of the featherweight division. He most recently dominated Josh Emmett in a 5-round main event where he called for a title shot after. It is hard to deny him at this point and it is new blood for the featherweight GOAT. Showing how Topuria puts on exciting fights, this could be one of the most dangerous fights for Volkanovski during his current title reign.

Max Holloway

This is the fight that many fans and analysts have been clamoring for. Holloway is the former featherweight champion and one of the best strikers in the division. He has already fought Volkanovski three times, losing all three times, but many believe that he deserves another shot at the title. A fourth fight between these two would be a huge draw for the UFC and would likely be a highly competitive matchup.