The UFC's annual International Fight Week bonanza is now well underway in Las Vegas, and on Saturday night, the fistic festivities will conclude with a stacked UFC 290 card.

The pay-per-view from the T-Mobile Arena will be topped by a pair of title fights.

In the marquee spot, reigning featherweight champion and pound-for-pound staple Alexander Volkanovski will attempt to defend his title against the always unpredictable Yair Rodriguez, who currently holds interim gold in the division.

Before the featherweight title gets unified, flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will put his belt on the line in a fight with long-time contender Alexandre Pantoja, who holds a 2018 decision win over the champion and also beat him on The Ultimate Fighter.

Beyond the title fights, fight fans will be treated to a high-stakes middleweight clash, with former champion Robert Whittaker taking on surging contender Dricus Du Plessis in a fight that could produce the next challenger for reigning title holder Israel Adesanya.

The main card will also include an interesting lightweight clash between Top 15 contenders Jalin Turner and Dan Hooker. And before that, rising middleweight prospect Bo Nickal will attempt to keep his momentum alive against the also unbeaten Val Woodburn, who stepped in to replace Tresean Gore earlier this week.

Keep scrolling to see who the B/R combat sports squad is picking to come out on top in Las Vegas this Saturday.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez

Tom Taylor: I'm part of the dwindling segment of the MMA community who still views Alexander Volkanovski as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Sorry, Islam Makhachev. Sorry, Jon Jones. I still ride with The Great. Having said that, the champ's Saturday fight with Yair Rodriguez makes me nervous for all of the obvious reasons. While I believe he has all the skills to make life miserable for his challenger, Rodriguez has proven time and again that he can end fights in an instant, on the feet or on the mat. He also looks less wild and more cerebral every time he steps in the Octagon, which means Volkanovski will not only have to contend with wild bursts of random offense, but well-laid traps.

I do think the undisputed champ will pull this off—probably over five, tense rounds—but it's hard to feel confident picking against Rodriguez.

Volkanovski by unanimous decision

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Like Tom, I have all the respect in the world for Volkanovski. In fact, I thought he edged out the decision against Makhachev, and I wouldn't argue with anyone who puts him atop their P4P list.

Unlike Tom, I simply don't believe Rodriguez is on his level.

He's gone 2-1 in three fights across two years, losing to a Max Holloway that Volkanovski has handled at least twice (depending on your view of their second fight). Rodriguez beat Brian Ortega when the Californian couldn't continue beyond the first round with an injury, and let's just say the win over Josh Emmett looks a smidge less impressive after Ilia Topuria's Fight Night beatdown in Jacksonville.

So long story short. Rodriguez deserves the title shot, but he won't win it.

Volkanovski by unanimous decision

Haris Kruskic: When someone has been champion for as long as Alex Volkanovski has, it's natural to expect the other shoe to drop at some point. Four years is a heck of a title run and he likely will give way to another contender sooner rather than later.

With that being said, Volkanovski's mindset is unparalleled. Every new opponent is another person he has to prove wrong and he doesn't take the challenge for granted as shown in dominant title defense after dominant title defense.

I'm not sold on Yair Rodriguez quite yet. He's obviously electric and looked great against Josh Emmett, but his win over Brian Ortega due to a first-round shoulder injury and being taken down three times by Max Holloway of all people in their entertaining fight left a lot of questions.

Alex the Great's reign continues.

Volkanovski by unanimous decision

Brandon Moreno vs. Alexander Pantoja

Tom Taylor: This is a great fight. Both Moreno and Pantoja have clearly hit a new level since their last meeting in 2018, having won a host of fights at the highest level and finished many of their opponents in that time.

It's possible that Pantoja has Moreno's number. Frankie Edgar had BJ Penn's, and until recently, it seemed like Alex Pereira had Israel Adesanya's. Sometimes, a fighter just runs into somebody they can't beat. But Moreno ultimately found a way to come out on top in his rivalry with Deiveson Figueiredo, who I would say is far more dangerous than Pantoja, and I think he can do it again in this one.

Pantoja seems like he's impossible to finish, so I'll concede that he probably survives the full five, but I think Moreno has made the bigger strides, and it'll show in the cage.

Moreno by unanimous decision

Lyle Fitzsimmons: I'll concede to not having a firm idea of what this one is going to look like. But it'll be amazing to watch.

Moreno's rise to the title has been one of the promotion's best stories over the last few years and his four-part series with Figueiredo will be one that's recalled fondly long after they've both left the cage.

But the rivalry with Pantoja? I'm not quite so sure. Moreno has indeed made huge strides since the second of their two meetings in 2018, going 7-1-2 in 10 fights. But Pantoja hasn't exactly fallen off the map in that time either. In fact, you could argue that his 6-2 slate in eight subsequent fights is deeper opponent-wise beyond Moreno's prolonged dance with Figueiredo.

I wasn't on board with Adesanya until he finally beat Pereira because I still thought he was the better all-around fighter outside of the power shots. But it's not the same for Moreno. I won't believe he can beat Pantoja until I see him do it.

Pantoja by split decision

Haris Kruskic: The flyweight championship has bounced around between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo for well over three years. Will we finally have a little continuity after Saturday?

No. Alexandre Pantoja's grappling is going to be a significantly different challenge for Moreno than what he's dealt with over the past few years. It doesn't help that Pantoja has beaten the champion twice before in 2016 and 2018. He'll be very confident going into this one.

Pantoja by submission, Rd. 2

Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis

Tom Taylor: I feel I've been a bit long-winded on my last two picks. Thankfully, I think I can keep this one brief.

Dricus Du Plessis is good and capable of finishing any middleweight he can catch clean. But there remains something unrefined about the way he fights, and I would say the total opposite is true of Robert Whittaker. The former champ is a tactician who can beat his foes 100 different ways, and over the course of battles with the likes of Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero, Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, he has seen everything Du Plessis has to offer and more.

Somewhere in the second half of the fight, he'll deflate his foe with a head kick or a punch, and finish things off on the canvas.

So much for that grudge match between Du Plessis and Adesanya. And so much for me keeping this brief.

Whittaker by TKO, Rd. 3

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Whittaker is working his way toward OG status in the middleweight division. He's fought everyone and beaten most of them. And there's no reason to believe he's not the best 185-pounder in the world not named Israel Adesanya.

But there's something about Du Plessis that makes me believe. And no, it's not simply because the grudge match between him and Adesanya would be a must-see spectacle. He's looked as impressive as a guy can look through five UFC fights and it feels like his momentum alone will carry him past every fighter not wearing a title belt. I concede that Whittaker is probably, or at least has been, a better all-around commodity. But the potential for a quick, car-crash finish lies with Du Plessis and I think he'll get it somewhere late in the first.

Du Plessis by TKO, Rd. 1

Haris Kruskic: It would be significantly more interesting for Dricus Du Plessis to win this fight. There's clear beef between him and Israel Adesanya. The division desperately needs that.

However, Robert Whittaker has been the second-best middleweight in the world for years now. Against someone like Dricus Du Plessis whose cardio is a serious question, this has the potential to be a very uneven fight. Whittaker won't get into a brawl with DDP. He knows that's the most dangerous scenario. Expect Whittaker to pick him apart en route to another shot at Adesanya.

Whittaker by unanimous decision

Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner

Tom Taylor: This is another great fight. Hooker and Turner have both struggled with consistency in the cage, but both guys have also proven they can finish fights on the feet or on the mat. Combined, they've won 20 fights by knockout and 11 by submission. That makes this one a bit of a coin flip in my eyes.

Normally, I lean toward the more experienced fighter in these situations—in this case, that's Hooker by a mile—but I can't shake the feeling that his time at the top is over, and maybe he should have taken that fight with Tony Ferguson he was offered.

This time around, youthful exuberance beats age and guile.

Turner by submission, Rd. 2

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Speaking of momentum, it's the deciding factor for me again here.

Since helping chase Paul Felder into full-time commentary three years ago, Hooker is 2-4 with three losses by finish. Meanwhile, Turner is 5-1 in that same stretch—against lesser foes, to be certain—and the only loss came by a split decision against a tricky late substitute in Mateusz Gamrot.

Turner is taller, longer and he finishes people. Hooker tends to be finished when he loses. Put them together and this one seems pretty straightforward.

Turner by TKO, Rd. 2

Haris Kruskic: This should be fun. I'll take a chance on Jalin Turner here. Younger, faster and stronger with plenty of power to show for it. Dan Hooker's chin has been tested a lot in recent losses. This feels like a fight where the up-and-coming contender gets a notable win over a known veteran.

Turner by TKO, Rd. 2

Bo Nickal vs. Val Woodburn

Tom Taylor: Anybody who reads my contributions to B/R has gotta know what I'm gonna say here. Why, in a world where we have to cough up nearly a hundred dollars to buy a UFC pay-per-view, is a 4-0 prospect like Bo Nickal on the UFC 290 main card in place of surging welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena or former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, who are both buried on the undercard? Look, I get it, Nickal has a lot of potential and could become a big star for the UFC, but he'd get more eyes on the free undercard anyway. It makes no sense.

Now that I've had the opportunity to scream like a baby, I'll get to my prediction. Obviously, Nickal will do exactly what the UFC hopes he will do and dominate his short-notice replacement opponent Val Woodburn to some kind of quick finish on the mat.

And all of my questions about him will remained unanswered.

Nickal by TKO, Rd. 1

Lyle Fitzsimmons: The story of the UFC—and boxing, too, for that matter—is littered with instances where late-notice opponents came in and pulled off upsets that seemed ridiculous to even consider.

Val Woodburn is an unbeaten mixed martial artist and could add his name to that list. But he won't. Mark me down as all-in on the Nickal hype train for the time being. He'll get it to the mat and end things fairly quickly. In fact, I'll be more surprised if it lasts three minutes than if it doesn't.

Nickal by TKO, Rd. 1

Haris Kruskic: There's wrestling, and then there's wrestling. The facts are Val Woodburn is making his short-notice UFC debut against one of the best wrestlers in the world. If you have never been exposed to that level of grappling in fights, it's a daunting task to come out of it with a win.

Obviously, MMA is more than just wrestling and Bo Nickal needs to continue rounding out his game, but being incredible at one specific martial art can still get you far in the UFC. Everyone wants to see Nickal legitimately threatened, but I don't think that's going to happen yet.

Nickal by submission, Rd. 1