- Odds: Max Holloway -500, Yair Rodriguez +385.
- Prediction: Max Holloway via TKO/KO.
The odds are stacked against Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 197. Yair is currently ranked #3 in the featherweight rankings going up against #1 Max Holloway. Regardless of the result, this fight should be dynamite and we give our fight prediction for Holloway vs Rodriguez below.
Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
| Max Holloway | -500 |
| Yair Rodriguez | +385 |
Max “Blessed” Holloway opened as a -375 betting favorite when the opening lines were released. Now the former featherweight champion is a massive -500 favorite. With odds like that, fans will be looking to the betting props for Holloway to win by finish or decision for better betting value. For his opponent Yair Rodriguez, he’s coming into this bout as a live dog’, at +385, you can bet $100 to net $385 on the chance of an upset. For the latest UFC odds check out our list of best sports betting sites.
Holloway vs Rodriguez Prediction
If we see the same version of Max that fought Calvin Kattar, this could be a brutal night for Yair. For Yair, he’s coming off a decision win over veteran Jeremy Stephens in October 2019. That’s a lot of inactivity for the 29-year-old Mexican. Prior to that Yair was down multiple rounds against The Korean Zombie, until he turned things around with a KO of the year elbow. In that fight he won both ‘Performance of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Night’.
Yair clearly has the grit and creativity and dynamic striking to hang in there with the best featherweights. The main issue now is how serious is he about going for that gold strap. Especially when you have a prime Max Holloway standing in your way and Alexander Volkanovski as the reigning champion.
Max not only has some of the best boxing in the UFC but his footwork and movement are second to none and will cause problems for Yair. I expect Max to mix up striking from low leg kicks to working the body and head with strikes, showcasing once again why he is on the top P4P fighters.
This fight is a stand-up battle. In terms of UFC stats, Strikes Landed per Min. (SLpM), Holloway leads the charge with an incredible 7.26 vs Yair’s 4.33. For striking accuracy and defense, both fighters are evenly enough matched.
This fight could easily go down as a repeat of the Holloway-Kattar bout. Unless Yair can gain some momentum by picking up the pace early in the fight and pulling of an unorthodox move to hurt Max. Chances are all the major sportsbooks have this one right with “Blessed” coming out on top. My betting pick is by TKO/KO, we all know Yair is durable but over the course of five rounds, I see Max getting the finish and possibly setting up a trilogy bout against Volkanovski in 2022.
This fight has the ingredients to become the fight of the year. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think! If you are looking to bet from a region close to you, check out our list of Canadian online sportsbooks.