Title Fights
UFC Fight Night preview: Ortega takes on Rodriguez in featherweight battle for supremacy
UFC Fight Night returns with an exciting top-of-the-rankings Featherweight bout between second-place Brian Ortega and third-place Yair Rodriguez.
Both fighters can take bragging rights from a win in this one and potentially a shot at the UFC Featherweight title.
Ortega defends second place in the rankings
Brian Ortega goes into this crucial bout with the better record of 15-2-0 but will be driven by his recent two losses. Looking to put himself back on the map and in the running for another all-important title shot against Alexander Volkanovski, Ortega will look to utilise his quick feet and agility against a fighter who has a greater reach.
After winning 14 out of his 15 fights, Ortega looked like the man to beat until his first loss in 2018 when he succumbed to Max Holloway via a doctor stoppage.
The loss seemed to throw him off course slightly and since then he has been unable to rediscover his electrifying form, winning his following fight but taking a loss in the next, when losing a title fight to Volkanovski – the last time he stepped out into the octagon.
Making his return to UFC for the first time in almost a year, he is expected to land in the octagon refreshed and hit the ground running. He is the favourite at 8/13 to win the bout and cement his position as a top-two fighter in the UFC Featherweight division.
Ortega is an aggressive fighter, taking 10 of his 15 wins via a knockout, TKO or submission. You can expect him to go into this one guns blazing with similar intentions to the fights he was so successful in early on in his career. He is 7/4 to win by KO/TKO/DQ or submission.
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Can Rodriguez’s superior size give him a chance?
Yair Rodriguez will arrive in the octagon with a slightly inferior record of 14-3-0. Despite his opponent being the favourite in the betting, Rodriguez’s three-inch height advantage, longer legs and heavier weight could give him a good chance of a surprise upset in the octagon on Saturday.
His longer reach of two inches and three-inch height advantage over his adversary could prove to be his most deadly weapon against a man known for his power and agility. Claiming the majority of his victories by decision, it isn’t surprising to see it as Rodriguez’s most likely method of success at 11/4. The fight, meanwhile, is priced at Evens to go the whole way.
His strategy will most likely be to hold off his opponent, utilise his further reach and go for a points win rather than to go all-out attack against a man who can dodge an assault as well as anyone in the division.
Rodriguez, who lost to Max Holloway in his last outing, is the underdog in the bout and is priced at 13/10 to win by any means.
