by Darren Moore
Max “Blessed” Holloway (22-6-0) meets Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez (13-2-0) in a featherweight bout that’s the main event at UFC Fight Night 197 (also known as UFC on ESPN+ 55 and UFC Vegas 42) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, 6 November.
This bout was originally scheduled to take place in July, but had to be rescheduled after an injury forced Holloway out of the fight. The 29-year-old American suffered back-to-back losses to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in December 2019 (via unanimous decision) and July 2020 (via split decision).
Featherweight – Main Event
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Max Holloway | Name | Yair Rodriguez |
| 23-6-0 | Record | 14-3-0 |
| 5′ 11″ | Height | 5′ 11″ |
| 145 lbs | Weight | 145 lbs |
| 69″ | Reach | 71″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| 0 | Knockdowns | 0 |
| 251/434 | Total Strikes | 186/383 |
| 230/404 | Sig. Strikes | 159/352 |
| 129/278 | Head Strikes | 78/247 |
| 66/83 | Body Strikes | 24/41 |
| 35/43 | Leg Strikes | 57/64 |
| 6:49 | Time in Control | 1:20 |
| 3/5 | takedowns | 1/5 |
| 1 | Submissions | 0 |
The former champion Rodriguez returned to winning ways when beating Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision in January this year.
The 29-year-old Mexican was last in action back in October 2019, when he defeated Jeremy Stephens via a unanimous decision. Since then, Rodriguez has been sidelined first due to injury, then in December 2020 by a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension as a result of three “whereabouts failures” during a 12-month period.
Holloway is the more accomplished fighter technically and has a superior cardio. For his part, Rodriguez is a fighter renowned for his power and aggression, but isn’t the greatest when it comes to cardio. In addition, Holloway also has a strong chin and isn’t easy to put away.
Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez Odds
The Fight Result betting odds with the leading sportsbook Bovada sees Holloway as a strong favorite at odds of –575, while backers of Rodriguez can get odds of +390 on the Mexican.
Rodriguez is certainly capable of winning this fight, but Holloway looks to have more tools at his disposal and looks to be the likelier victor.
Ben Rothwell vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Also on the card is a heavyweight bout between the veteran Ben Rothwell (39-13-0) and Marcos “Pezao” Rogerio de Lima.
Heavyweight – Main Event
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Ben Rothwell | Name | Marcos Rogerio de Lima |
| 39-14-0 | Record | 19-8-1 |
| 6′ 4″ | Height | 6′ 1″ |
| 265 lbs | Weight | 259 lbs |
| 78.5″ | Reach | 75″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| 0 | Knockdowns | 0 |
| 2/8 | Total Strikes | 14/24 |
| 2/8 | Sig. Strikes | 14/24 |
| 2/8 | Head Strikes | 11/20 |
| 0/0 | Body Strikes | 0/1 |
| 0/0 | Leg Strikes | 3/3 |
| 0:00 | Time in Control | 0:00 |
| 0/1 | takedowns | 0/0 |
| 0 | Submissions | 0 |
The 40-year-old American was last in the octagon in May this year, when he beat Chris Barnett via submission. Before that, Rothwell had lost to Marcin Tybura on a decision, which snapped a two-fight winning streak after victories against Stefan Struve and Ovince Saint Preux.In his career to date, Rothwell has recorded 28 KO victories with seven wins coming via submission.
In his last fight, the 36-year-old Brazilian De Lima claimed a unanimous decision win against the veteran Maurice Greene in May this year. Before beating Greene, De Lima suffered a submission loss to Alexander Romanov.
De Lima has recorded 13 of his fight wins by KO, with two wins coming via submission. His problem is that he has never been able to raise his game against the elite of the fight game.
In the Fight Result betting lines, Rothwell is the marginal favorite with Bovada at –165, with De Lima on offer at betting odds of +135. The odds favor Rothwell and the inability of De Lima against superior fighters has to make the veteran American a worthy favorite.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
