UFC FIGHT NIGHT 197 PREVIEW; Rodriguez vs. Holloway

andrewadmin

November 15, 2021

It’s UFC Fight Night 197, and now we finally have the bout between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez scheduled as the headliner for this weekend, Saturday, November 13, 2021.

The bout should have been the headliner for UFC Vegas 31 on July 17, 2021, but Holloway had to pull from the bout due to injury. The featherweight event was scheduled for a later date, and UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moises had to replace it as the headliner. Islam Makhachev eventually defeated Thiago Moises in that one on submission after a rear-naked choke in Round 4 on the day.

Right now, the much-anticipated headliner featherweight bout between Holloway and Yair Rodriguez is set to be underway, and everyone is looking forward to having a feel of the beautiful UFC night.

What makes the bout intriguing is that both Holloway and Rodriguez are 29 years (Holloway will be 30 in December) with the same height (5’ 11”) and weight (145. oo LB), and they go into the fight having won and lost a couple of bouts. Holloway has a 22-6 while Rodriguez has a 13-2 win/loss record.

Holloway goes into the fight as the number 1 contender, facing Rodriguez, the number 3 contender. The Hawaiian is also the current number 7 in the UFC Men’s pound-for-pound ranking.

Holloway seems like the favorite to win this one, thanks to his experience in the UFC. He has been around since 2012, and he also has the advantage of recently being involved in a fight after beating Calvin Kattar on a unanimous decision in Abu Dhabi in January. Holloway labeled the bout the best he has had in his UFC career, a fight that was crowned the fight of the night.

The last time Yair Rodriguez was involved in a fight was in October 2019, a contest he won after beating Jeremy Stephens in the third round, thanks to a unanimous decision. The bout was given the fight of the night. Still, that stunning performance is so far away that it may not be significant to the Mexican coming into the bout against Holloway, considering it has been over two years.

Rodriguez has to be ready for his tenacity, cardio, and standup when he comes against the former featherweight champion this weekend.

Holloway goes into the fight looking to get a chance to build up his strength as he eyes regaining the crown he lost to Alexander Volkanovski in December 2019, having held onto it for three years. He could have won the second bout against Volkanovski in July 2020, but he lost the fight via split decision. The decision was controversial, and it led to different speculations, with 18 of the 27 media scores giving Holloway the victory.

We are set for an exciting weekend, and below are the main card fights;

Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez (Featherweight)

Ben Rothwell vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight)

Felicia Spencer vs. Leah Letson (Women Featherweight)

Miguel Baeza vs. Kalinn Williams (Welterweight)

Song Yadong vs. Julio Acre (Bantamweight)