MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 42, a five-round featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez. The event takes place on Saturday, November 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Max Holloway (-600)
Holloway (22-6) is the former UFC featherweight champion. The 29-year-old American has been in the UFC since 2012 and since then he has racked up an 18-6 record inside the Octagon. Holloway has fought and defeated many of the best featherweights in the sport including Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar, Charles Oliveira, and Anthony Pettis, just to name a few. One of the most talented strikers in all of the UFC, Holloway throws an incredible volume striking attack in his fights that is hard for his opponents to stop. He also has some of the best cardio in the sport as well as an iron chin. Overall, Holloway is one of the best fighters in the sport and he is looking to get another title shot at 145lbs with a big win over Rodriguez this weekend at UFC Vegas 42.
Yair Rodriguez (+400)
Rodriguez (14-2, 1 NC) is the former TUF Latin America winner and one of the top-five ranked featherweights in the UFC. The 29-year-old Rodriguez has been in the UFC since 2014 and since then he has racked up an 8-1, 1 NC record inside the Octagon. His wins have come over the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Chan Sung Jung, BJ Penn, Dan Hooker, Alex Caceres, and Andrei Fili, with his only loss in the UFC coming against Frankie Edgar. A talented striker, Rodriguez likes to keep his fights standing and hurt his opponents on the feet. He is a very flashy and skilled striker who can throw up incredible kicks and other strikes that come out of nowhere and knock his opponents out. So far in the UFC, Rodriguez has not shown many holes in his game other than in his takedown defense against Edgar. Otherwise, he has looked phenomenal in the UFC. It’s just a shame that Rodiguez has been so inactive as of late, having not fought in the UFC in over two years now.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a fun fight for as long as it lasts between two of the best strikers in the UFC featherweight division. Holloway has proven for nearly the past decade that he is an elite fighter, while Rodriguez has had flashes of brilliance at times in the Octagon. While I do think Rodriguez presents a level of danger and unpredictableness that Holloway hasn’t dealt with before, I also think Holloway holds numerous advantages in this fight. Ultimately, I see Holloway throwing more volume on the feet, having better cardio, and also having a better chin. In what should be a striking-based fight, I’ll take the fighter who has been far more active as of late inside the Octagon. Although Rodriguez might be tough enough to survive the full 25 minutes, I can’t see this fight any other way than Holloway getting his hand raised and earning the next title shot at 145lbs.
Prediction: Max Holloway
