UFC 290 expert picks and best bets: Insiders split on Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja trilogy fight - ESPN

Alexander Volkanovski goes for his sixth consecutive UFC men's featherweight title defense as he takes on interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 6 p.m.).

Volkanovski, tied for No. 1 on ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings, lost to UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in a fight for the 155-pound title at UFC 284 in February. Rodriguez, ranked No. 3 in ESPN's divisional rankings, beat Josh Emmett for the interim title on that same fight card.

In the co-main event, men's flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will put his belt on the line as he faces Alexandre Pantoja. In January, Moreno, ESPN's No. 9 pound-for-pound fighter, beat Deiveson Figueiredo to claim the belt at UFC 283. Pantoja, ranked No. 4 in ESPN's divisional rankings, defeated Alex Perez by submission at UFC 277 last July.

Brett Okamoto spoke to ESPN MMA analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the main and co-main events. ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis for the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the card.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

How Volkanovski wins: His defense can't slack. His hands are going to have to be a little higher than normal. To win this fight, there must be an element of ground fighting for Volkanovski. Range is a big factor. He has to stay either completely into his chest or far out. If he's in kicking range, at least he knows what weapons are coming. If he's on the inside, but not chest-to-chest, that's a bad spot, because he will be dealing with many elbows and knees. He will have to be