Exclusive: Alexander Volkanovski may have a tough time 'taming wildcat' Yair Rodriguez, says Nate Landwehr
UFC featherweight Nate Landwehr has weighed in on Alexander Volkanovski vs, Yair Rodriguez, the upcoming title unification bout at UFC 290 in July.
Ahead of his fight at UFC 289, 'The Train' sat down for an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw for Sportskeeda MMA. During the 10-plus minute chat, the 34-year-old discussed various topics like his title aspirations, vices, UFC journey and much more.
While discussing the upcoming clash between Volkanovski and Rodriguez for International Fight Week, Landwehr said that the fight may not be a walk in the park for 'The Great'. 'The Train' termed Rodriguez as a 'wild cat', believing that the Mexican's dynamic striking may pose a threat against Volkanovski. He said:
"I mean, it's the fight game. Anything can happen. [Yair Rodriguez is] real tricky. He got a little razzle-dazzle... I was talking with my boxing coach, a tame cat is easy. A wild cat is a little bit more difficult to prepare for and Yair got that wild cat about him. So, we're gonna see". [6:29 to 6:53]
You can listen to Nate Landwehr's comments in the Sportskeeda MMA exclusive interview below:
Nate Landwehr will make his UFC pay-per-view debut on June 10 and will lock horns against Dan Ige in a featherweight clash on the main card of UFC 289.
The 34-year-old is currently riding a three-fight win streak and a win over Ige could possibly propel him into the top 15 of the UFC featherweight rankings.
Indian viewers can watch UFC 289 live on Sony Sports Network from 7:30 am onwards this Sunday.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez: What does 'The Great' think of his upcoming opponent?
After failing to secure the champ-champ status due to a loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski is set to return to featherweight to defend his title on June 10.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Great' discussed the fight. Volkanovski gave props to Yair Rodriguez, calling him a dangerous fighter. Volkanovski added that due to Rodriguez's unorthodox fighting style, the Australian may have to take a different approach while training for the fight.
"This is definitely still exciting for me because, the man [Yair Rodriguez] like yeah yeah, like he's a good [higher] man, he's a dangerous fighter. It's exciting... so it's you know, it's making me have to, you know, think a little bit differently."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments from the 0:56 mark below: