MMA Event Breakdown - UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
UFC 290 is the kind of fight card you tell your casual fight friends about. The kind of card you may even get away with sharing with your run of the mill sports fans as the UFC puts its best foot forward during the summer sports doldrums. The combat sports leader is presenting their pound for pound number one fighter against arguably his most lethal foe to date. The co-main event features one of the biggest stars in the sport in Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno trying to wrest victory from his most daunting challenge, a rival who has bested him in two previous encounters. On top of all that, we have a middleweight number one contender’s bout, the retirement of “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, and so much more!
Esteban Ribovics vs. Kamuela Kirk
Fight Odds: -145 Ribovics vs. +125 Kirk
Weight Class: 155lb. (Lightweight)
Esteban Ribovics is making his sophomore outing with the UFC after dropping a decision to Loik Radzhabov in his UFC debut. Kamuela Kirk had poor to mixed results at featherweight, prompting him to return to the lightweight division for this fight for the first time since 2021 in the LFA. Kirk is the more credentialed, well-schooled grappler in this fight, and the “Jawaiin’‘ will look to leverage his submission game over an opponent in Ribovics, who was taken down eleven times in his UFC debut.
Sharp markets have shown respect to the Kirk submission angle, which I understand here, but I believe Ribovics is a bit faster and more dangerous with his punches on the feet, so I don’t see a blowout win in either direction. I believe Kirk will have early success in this fight with his grappling, but if he is unable to secure the submission, I see him gassing out and absorbing damage in an extended fight, leading to an eventual loss via late stoppage or narrow decision. Ribovics is unproven, but I think he projects higher as a prospect.
Prediction: Estaban Ribovics defeats Kamuela Kirk via TKO3/SDEC