“Let Him Do It While It Lasts”: Alexander Volkanovski Gives His Two Cents on Yair Rodriguez’s Custom “Mexican” Interim Championship Belt

At the main event of UFC 290, the stage is set for the clash between the undisputed featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, and interim champion Yair Rodriguez. If Rodriguez manages to seal the victory, he will join Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno as the third Mexican holding UFC gold.

However, going into the fight, ‘El Pantera’ will have the opportunity to achieve a feat none of his compatriots had before. The 30-year-old fighter could be the first in the promotion’s history to hold the recently revealed Mexican-themed UFC belt. This is the first time that the UFC has introduced a belt themed after a fighter’s homeland. But how do the other fighters feel about this?

Alexander Volkanovski on Yair Rodriguez’s ‘special belt’

In his latest interview with TheMacLife, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski demanded an Aussie-themed belt. According to the Kiwi, he initially thought the belt was designed by Yair Rodriguez. But now, since it’s revealed that it’s an official belt, he wants a custom one too from Dana White. But at the same time, Volkanovski thinks that hi opponent should enjoy his time with the belt “while it lasts”. Essentially warning the Mexican before they lock horns at UFC 290. In Volkanovski’s own words:

“Ah, man, look, I did see it. I thought he got that done too by himself, but if Dana did, I also want an Aussie version. That’s all good. Let him enjoy it. No disrespect to him, but let him do it while it lasts.”

For those unaware, Rodriguez recently uploaded pictures of the Mexican-themed UFC belt on his Instagram. This was a shocker for many, considering this is the first of its kind occasion in the history of the promotion. Earlier, the company had also announced a special event on the occasion of Mexican Independence Day. All of this shows how seriously Dana White and the company are taking their Mexican fans.

Alexander Volkanovski rates the interim champion status

Later in the interview, Alexander Volkanovski also talked about Yair Rodriguez‘s status as the interim champion. For anybody who isn’t familiar, interim belts are a stop-gap solution to add momentum to the division in the absence of the undisputed champion. Since Volkanovski was busy with his lightweight ambitions, UFC pitted Rodriguez against Josh Emmett with the interim title on the line.

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In an amazing display of his well-rounded MMA skill, the Mexican finished his American rival just the second round into the fight. According to Volkanovski, he does not want to take anything away from Rodriguez. But at the same time, he reaffirmed his status as the ‘official champion’. This statement came in response to the question asking his rating for the interim belt.

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This weekend, the 34-year-old fighter will enter the cage as a favorite despite coming off a loss to Islam Makhachev, all thanks to his undefeated record at featherweight. Rodriguez, too, is looking the best he has ever been. In his last two bouts, he has finished two high-level fighters in the form of Emmett and Brian Ortega. Which of the two fighters will get to unify the belt? Only time can tell.