At UFC Vegas 42, we were able to see the former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway, face off inside the octagon against the #3 ranked UFC featherweight, Yair Rodriguez. Read below for my recap of the main event.
UFC Featherweight: Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez – Main Event
In this 5-round bout, Max Holloway showed us all why he is the former featherweight champion. The UFC Odds at your Top Sportsbooks were: Max Holloway -700 and Yair Rodriguez +450.
In the first round, Holloway took control and pressed forward as Rodriguez started with lock kicks. Rodriguez was quick with his striking, but Holloway was accurate with his powerful right hand, connecting to Rodriguez’s body. Rodriguez was great at utilizing his kicks, connecting to the body of Holloway. Moving at a fast pace, Rodriguez brought the fight to the floor and aimed to get the back of Holloway, but Holloway controlled and slipped free. Holloway lands a few strikes before the round ends.
In round two, Rodriguez started again kicking the legs. They exchange jabs, combos back and forth. Rodriguez throws a spinning kick – missed. And Holloway was back working the body, applying the pressure. You could already see Rodriguez start to tire; the pace of Holloway is typically hard to keep up with so this was expected in Yair. Holloway was continuously aiming for the body while Rodriguez continued to chop away at the legs. Blessed pushed Rodriguez up against the cage and connected with a nice knee to the body. Rodriguez missed a big elbow.
Now in the third round; Holloway walked forward, applying early pressure. Rodriguez was moving back and countering. Holloway with the fake takedown and jumping knee! – Rodriguez is still cracking at the legs, until the fight is brought to the flight. Holloway jumps on top and lands a rain of punches until aiming for an arm-triangle. They scramble on the ground until eventually they make it back to the feet where they exchange heavy hits back and forth. Holloway landed a nice knee to the body with Rodriguez’s back against the cage.
The fourth round; Holloway starts again with a jab and connects to the body. They both exchange in the pocket, all strikes landing clean. They briefly clinch in the center and you could see the damage appearing around Rodriguez’s right eye. They clinch, then Holloway aims for the standing finish with his arm around Rodriguez’s neck! But Rodriguez throws himself to the ground to escape, they scramble until Rodriguez makes it back to his feet – less than two minutes left. Holloway landed a right and Rodriguez claimed eye poke; the doctor entered and issued fight on. Holloway applied the forward pressure again; Rodriguez with the flying knee and missed. Both exchange heavy punches until the bell.
Finally, the fifth round. Rodriguez landed a spinning kick to the body followed by a nice right hand; he got off a few nice strikes until Holloway landed a nice knee. Both fighters are really throwing the strikes at each other; Holloway with another landed knee and the forward pressure. They clinch, but Rodriguez breaks with an elbow. Rodriguez threw a spinning kick but was stuffed, and Holloway clinched to end the round.
Max Holloway defeated Yair Rodriguez via unanimous decision.
Closing Remarks and What’s Next?
It was a very fun and entertaining back and forth battle between the former featherweight champ, Maxy Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.
There were a good handful of dog winners on this card: Rafael Alves (+185), Andrea Lee (+115), Joel Alvarez (+210), Kalinn Williams (+115), and Marcos Rogerio de Lima (+140).
Up next in the UFC is UFC Vegas 43: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate on Saturday, November 20th at the UFC Apex. This should be a fun card with Davey Grant vs. Adrian Tanez, Joanne Calderwood vs. Taila Santos, Michael Chiesa vs. Sean Brady, and more. For all the best UFC Picks and Odds, visit Bookmakers Review.
