UFC 290 Reaction: Predicting Alexander Volkanovski’s Next Move, Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s Uncomfortable Faceoff, and Alexandre Pantoja Wins One For the Ages

A GOAT push, a Fight of the Year candidate, a massive middleweight upset, geopolitical tension, a legendary retirement, and a number of fast finishes. Wow. UFC 290 gave us everything and more. To break it all down, Ariel Helwani, Chuck Mindenhall, and Petesy Carroll get into the following in this instant reaction episode:

• Alexander Volkanovski’s domination of Yair Rodriguez, whether it surprised us, and what the featherweight king will look to do next (8:00)
• An unforgettable flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja, the strange scorecards, and Pantoja’s incredibly emotional story that we’re just discovering now (28:33)
• Dricus Du Plessis’s SHOCKING upset of Robert Whittaker and how it’s all but guaranteed him a date with Israel Adesanya in September in Australia (39:11)
• The uncomfortable nature of the post-fight confrontation between DDP and Adesanya and how this could cast a very dark cloud over the UFC for the next two months (45:10)
• Robbie Lawler’s knockout of Niko Price and why it was the storybook ending to a career that will never be matched (1:04:35)

Plus, Bo Nickal keeps the hype train moving, Dan Hooker pulls out a gutsy win, and the guys touch on Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

Hosts: Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall

Producer: Troy Farkas

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