Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues at UFC Fight Night 251 | Preview & Prediction
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The main event at UFC Fight Night 251 at The Apex in Las Vegas sees Jared Cannonier take on a surging Gregory Rodrigues in the middleweight division
Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 251? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 15th February 2025, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT
Where is UFC Fight Night 251? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 251? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 251
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 251 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 251? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 251 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Jared Cannonier and Gregory Rodrigues expected to walk out? 2:45am UK / Saturday 15th February, 9:45pm US ET / 6:45pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 251 Main Card
Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues (Middleweight)
Calvin Kattar vs Youssef Zalal (Featherweight)
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Dylan Budka (Middleweight)
Ismael Bonfim vs Nazim Sadykhov (Lightweight)
Rodolfo Vieira vs Andre Petroski (Middleweight)
Connor Matthews vs Jose Delgado (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 251 Prelims
Angela Hill vs Ketlen Souza (Women’s Strawweight)
Rafael Estevam vs Jesus Santos Aguilar (Flyweight)
Gabriel Bonfim vs Khaos Williams (Welterweight)
Vince Morales vs Elijah Smith (Bantamweight)
Valter Walker vs Don'Tale Mayes (Heavyweight)
Julia Avila vs Jacqueline Cavalcanti (Women’s Bantamweight)
Jared Cannonier: Vet determined to bounce back and upset surging foe
Jared Cannonier (17-8) has lost his last two bouts albeit against quality opponents in Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho. He now faces another tough opponent as he desperately seeks to avoid losing three fights in a row for the first time in his career. Prior to those last two losses, Cannonier was on fire beating some top-notch opponents like Derek Brunson, Sean Strickland and Marvin Vettori so he should not be too disheartened by this run. The TKO loss to Imavov has been put in more context since then also given Imavov’s stunning win over Adesanya two weeks ago. The big question around Cannonier is how much does the veteran have left in the tank especially against an up-and-coming fighter like Rodrigues.
Gregory Rodrigues: Brazilian headlining main event for first time
Gregory Rodrigues (16-5) has been on a tear in recent times as he has won his last three fights in some style which has earned him the opportunity to headline a UFC card for the first time in his career. The Brazilian has 10 knockouts in his 16 wins and four of his last five wins have come via that method which has made him exceptionally entertaining to watch. This represents a fair step up for him now in terms of calibre of opponent so it will be interesting to see if he can rise to the challenge.
Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues Prediction
Many would be forgiven for just looking at the recent records of these two main eventers and siding with Rodrigues but the quality of opponents they have both faced has to be taken into account.
Cannonier has fought a who’s who of fighters in this division and because he has lost his last two fights, it feels like he is being underestimated by many.
Rodrigues has been impressive of late and looks to have developed nicely. He has a huge height and reach advantage which could be key here in keeping the fight at distance when striking but it cannot be forgotten that has been knocked out three times.
Cannonier has to get inside and unleash some of his power strikes. If he can do that, then we really like his chances. At some point during the five rounds, we think he connects and will pose problems for Rodrigues’ fragile chin.
Cannonier has also been knocked out three times and of course, if Rodrigues keeps this fight at his range, then it promises to be an uncomfortable night for Cannonier.
We marginally edge Cannonier from a value perspective and think the market is underestimating him here. We do not love it enough to bet however so our play here is on the ‘how the fight will end’ market and we see nothing other than a knockout finish one way or another here.
Prediction: Fight to end in KO/TKO
