3 – Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez
Big things were expected from the UFC Fight Night main event between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez, and big things were delivered by the featherweight stars, as they battled hard for five compelling rounds, with Holloway emerging victorious via unanimous decision.
Scores were 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 for the No.1-ranked Holloway, now 23-6. The No.3-ranked Rodriguez, back in action for the first time since October 2019, falls to 14-3, 1 NC.
Holloway got right in Rodriguez’ face, hoping to get within the range of his opponent’s kicks, but “El Pantera” found the room to get those shots in, and when Holloway did get close, Rodriguez landed his share of hard punches. Holloway wasn’t bothered, but it was Rodriguez outworking him. With a little under two minutes left, the two traded flush right hands, Holloway’s opening a cut under his foe’s left eye. Rodriguez proceeded to look for a takedown in the final minute, momentarily halting the Hawaiian’s momentum until the two ended the round looking to make a statement.
Rodriguez kept a high pace in the second round, focusing on battering Holloway’s legs. When Holloway tired of the kicks, he fired back and tagged the Mexican, and it appeared that his strikes were having more of an effect on Rodrigues, who appeared to get stung by a knee in the closing minute.
Holloway scored with a flying knee to start the third, and while Rodriguez continued to focus on the legs, “Blessed” didn’t stop moving forward, and after what appeared to be a flash knockdown but was revealed to be a slip, he got into the mount position on his foe, looking to finish with plenty of time left on the clock. Rodriguez defended well and got back to his feet, and while he initially appeared weary, he fired off a flurry and sought out a takedown. It was Holloway who got the fight to the mat, though, and in the final minute, the former champ finished strong with ground strikes that continued to leave their effect on Rodriguez’ face.
The exchanges remained heated in the fourth round before Holloway suddenly sought out a standing guillotine in the second minute. Rodriguez survived but was taken to the mat, and Holloway’s punishing attack resumed. With 1:45 to go, the two rose, Rodriguez trying a pair of spinning moves to catch Holloway napping. An inadvertent eye poke by Holloway brought a brief halt to the action, and then it was back to each fighter looking to end matters with whatever weapons they had at their disposal.
Told between rounds that he needed a finish to win, Rodriguez went after it to begin the fifth frame, showing remarkable stamina and resilience. Then again, those are two of the hallmarks of Holloway’s style, and “Blessed” took whatever came his way and answered back in kind. Midway through the round, a wild kick by Rodriguez ended up with him on the mat, but he reversed position and had control briefly until the two stood and battled against the fence. As they exchanged, Holloway emerged with a cut over his right eye. An accidental eye poke from Rodriguez halted the fight briefly, but when they got back into it, there was more compelling action until the final horn.