5 fighters who could steal the show at UFC 290

UFC 290 takes place this weekend in Las Vegas, and in the headline fight, Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight crown against Yair Rodriguez.

UFC 290 has a blockbuster main event, but could one of the other fighters on this loaded card steal the show? Most definitely.

With major fights in the flyweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions on tap, this is an event that no fan can afford to miss.

With that in mind, here are five fighters who may steal the show at UFC 290 this weekend.

#5. Tatsuro Taira – UFC flyweight contender

Tatsuro Taira is a high level prospect at 125lbs [Image Credit: @UFC on Twitter]

A late addition to UFC 290’s preliminary card has seen the promotion match flyweight prospect Tatsuro Taira with newcomer Edgar Chairez in a 130lbs catchweight fight.

The relatively late-notice pairing is a risky one for Taira, but if he can produce the kind of performance that he did in his previous three octagon outings, he could well steal the show.

The Japanese fighter is still just 23 years old, but he’s already put together an impressive record of 13-0 and has picked up two finishes in the octagon, both coming via submission.

TATSURO TAIRA STAY UNDEFEATED

He subs Aguilar in one at #UFCVegas68! 💪

[ Live now on @ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/86bNWs04dP

Taira has talent in all aspects of the game, but his grappling is his most dangerous weapon, and that’s why this fight is quite intriguing. Chairez is still a largely unknown quantity, but with six of his career wins coming via submission, it appears he’s more of a grappler too.

Whether Taira can handle the larger fighter is a fair question to ask, but if he can win impressively, he could climb into the top fifteen at 125lbs and work his way into contendership – making him a definite potential show-stealer.

#4. Robbie Lawler – UFC welterweight contender

Can Robbie Lawler steal the show for one last time this weekend?

UFC 290 will mark the final trip to the octagon for a true legend of the promotion, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

In truth, retirement has been a long time coming for ‘Ruthless’, who made his octagon debut more than two decades ago, back in early 2002.

Now 41 years old, it’s arguable that his last truly impressive showing came against Donald Cerrone back in 2017. Since then, he’s lost five of six bouts, with the only win in that sequence coming over the equally broken-down Nick Diaz.

Robbie Lawler evens the score with Nick Diaz at #UFC266

@Ruthless_RL wins by TKO when Nick Diaz couldn't get back to his feet. https://t.co/UHmEqYkPUb

So how is it possible that Lawler could steal the show this weekend? Put simply, he’s been given the perfect opponent for his final fight in the form of renowned wildman Niko Price.

‘The Hybrid’ is almost a decade younger than his opponent, but unlike most of the fighters who’ve beaten ‘Ruthless’ recently, he’s not all that durable. More importantly, he’s recklessly aggressive to a fault and will almost certainly look to take the fight to Lawler.

Could the former champion pull out one last great performance, then? In all honesty it’s highly unlikely. However, if he can put up a good fight and produce a thriller with Price, then there’s a chance that this perennial fan favourite will steal the show anyway.

#3. Jack Della Maddalena – UFC welterweight contender

Jack Della Maddalena is widely expected to beat his late-notice opponent this weekend

Last week, fans were dealt a devastating blow when one of UFC 290’s most outstanding fights was cancelled.

No. 14 ranked welterweight Jack Della Maddalena was scheduled to face No.9 ranked Sean Brady in a bout pitting two outstanding young fighters against one another. However, the fight fell apart when Brady was forced out due to a bacterial infection.

Maddalena has remained on the card, though, and will now face off with newcomer Josiah Harrell instead.

While he’s not likely to climb the rankings with a win here, it’s actually more likely that he’ll steal the show instead, thanks to the fact that he’s facing a substantially lesser opponent.

Harrell has a solid record of 7-0, but he’s certainly never faced anyone on the same level as Maddalena, and ‘The Muscle Hamster’ is also a small welterweight who stands at just 5’7”.

Given that Maddalena has finished all four of his prior octagon foes in the first round, then, it seems highly likely that he’ll do the same to Harrell this weekend, probably producing a highlight reel finish.

SEE YOU IN PERTH, JDM. 😮‍💨

🇦🇺 Jack Della Maddalena looking as good as ever as he goes 3 for 3 inside the Octagon! #UFCVegas65 https://t.co/vBG6FRtmEW

If he can do that, then there’s every chance that he claims one of the event’s post-fight bonuses – and steals the show in the process.

#2. Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight contender

Dricus du Plessis could claim a title shot with a win this weekend

Ignoring the two title fights on the card for a moment, the fighter with the most to gain at UFC 290 is almost certainly Dricus du Plessis.

The South African middleweight is faced with his toughest test to date in the form of former 185lbs titleholder Robert Whittaker. However, the scale of this fight means he’s also only one victory away from his ultimate goal – a shot at current champ Israel Adesanya.

In many ways, it’s curious that ‘Stillknocks’ has been matched with Whittaker, as his ready-made feud with Adesanya would usually mean the UFC would want to protect him.

Instead, he’s faced with a man who has only ever lost to Adesanya since moving to 185lbs in 2014. So is this an impossible task for du Plessis?

Some might think so, but thus far, he’s proven himself to be a remarkably talented fighter. He’s gone 5-0 in the octagon, finishing four of those foes, including top 10-ranked Derek Brunson and Darren Till.

The towel comes in! ❌

🇿🇦 @DricusDuPlessis gets the finish right before the horn as the Brunson corner had seen enough! #UFC285 https://t.co/4SQOh2PdZG

If he can do what nobody other than ‘The Last Stylebender’ has been able to do, and take out Whittaker this weekend, then it’ll be hard to imagine him failing to steal the show.

#1. Alexandre Pantoja – UFC flyweight contender

Alexandre Pantoja will be hopeful of claiming flyweight gold this weekend

Given that he’s got a huge chance of becoming a first-time champion this weekend, the man with the best chance of stealing the show at UFC 290 is Alexandre Pantoja.

‘The Cannibal’ will face off with flyweight kingpin Brandon Moreno with the title on the line, and he probably has good reason to feel confident. After all, he already holds two victories over the Mexican, most recently defeating him in 2018.

Moreno has definitely improved since then, holding wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Kai Kara-France. However, Pantoja’s slick grappling and heavy striking should still prove to be a bad match for him, particularly as he isn’t likely to tire as Figueiredo did.

"He knows if one shot..." 😱

💪 @PantojaMMA is dishing KO power!

Keep watching ➡️ LIVE on @ESPN https://t.co/Em6pNlJKmn

If ‘The Cannibal’ can adjust to his first five-round bout and can avoid succumbing to the pressure that a title bout brings, then there’s definitely a big chance that a new 125lbs champion will be crowned this weekend.

If Pantoja can indeed take the title away from ‘The Assassin Baby’, then he’ll definitely steal the show.