MMA Preview – Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 197
MAX HOLLOWAY VS YAIR RODRIGUEZ FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 197? Saturday 13th November, 2021 - 19:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 197? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 197? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Fight Night 197 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 197? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
MAX HOLLOWAY VS YAIR RODRIGUEZ LOWDOWN
Thankfully this fight is back on after Max Holloway (22-6) picked up an injury prior to UFC on ESPN 26 back in July. Holloway has opted to keep active rather than wait for a third title fight with Alexander Volkanovski who took the strap off him and then defended it 19 months later in July last year. They were both close fights and very few fighters other than Holloway would be granted a third opportunity. Since their rematch, Holloway took on Calvin Kattar in January and put on a ‘Fight of the Night’ and beating racking up the record of the most significant strikes landed in a fight. Kattar is one of the best boxers in the division, but Holloway made him look like an amateur, it was an incredible performance.
Yair Rodriguez (13-2(1)) has not fought for over two years which frustratingly, has been the theme of his UFC career. Whether it’s injury, illness of beef with the UFC, we have been deprived of seeing one of the most exciting strikers in the UFC. This time, it was a USADA ban for failing to appear for a drugs test which kept him out for six months. His last fight was his rematch with Jeremy Stephens after an eye poke caused an end to the first fight just 15 seconds in. Stephens suffered a bad poke and then got outclassed in the rematch.
MAX HOLLOWAY VS YAIR RODRIGUEZ PREDICTION
This is going to be a stand-up spectacle and although Rodriguez is one of the best strikers in the division, he is a colossal underdog. That is because Holloway is one of the best boxers on the entire roster and is made for five rounders with relentless volume and accuracy that simply overwhelms opponents.
The only fighters he has lost to recently were Volkanovski and Dustin Poirier. The key to their victories was that they went toe-to-toe with Holloway’s volume, not backing down from any exchange and keeping up an insane tempo for 25 minutes. Rodriguez will not bring the same volume and does not have the cardio but where he can match them is to start quickly.
Holloway usually has a passive first round where he downloads the data to get a read and then accelerate his volume and accuracy as the fight goes on. So, Rodriguez has to start offloading his arsenal of kicks and punches from range before Holloway calculates the territory.
The trouble is, is that Holloway also starts slow. That said, he will bring skills to the table that Holloway has not seen before which is rare and that is his movement, awkward elbows, knees and range of kicks he can land from a variety of angles. He can catch Holloway but another string to the Hawaiian’s bow is that he has a granite chin.
We expect Holloway to pull off a vintage performance, overwhelm Rodriguez and may even pull off a late finish if he fatigues. If we get into the championship rounds and the Mexican is chasing the fight, he is likely to expel a lot of energy hunting the knockout.
We feel the Hawaiian will have to make a huge mistake to lose this but when the odds are stacked this much against someone of Rodriguez’s calibre, he is the only smart bet. That or a knockout in the fifth round for Holloway.
Prediction: Holloway via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Rodriguez to win
