We have a solid main event featherweight fight on Saturday afternoon at UFC Fight Night inside of the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
The winner of this fight should be the challenger for the UFC Featherweight Championship, as second-ranked Brian Ortega and third-ranked Yair Rodriguez are ready to clash against one another.
Fighters Losing Streak
Brian Ortega is coming off a unanimous decision loss back at UFC 266 in the main event against Alexander Volkanovski.
Yair Rodriguez is also coming off a losing effort as he also lost in the main event, this time against Max Holloway, via unanimous decision back at UFC Fight Night 197 back in November.
Ortega vs. Rodriguez Betting Analysis
These two fighters seem to be a single win away from being in a UFC Featherweight Championship fight and just need to win here.
Let’s take a deeper dive into our Ortega vs. Rodriguez betting analysis and determine which one has an advantage heading into this fight.
Ortega Analysis
Brian “T-City” Ortega has been doing very well throughout his MMA career as he is sitting with a 15-2 record with a single no contest.
He is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Alexander Volkanovski back at UFC 266 in September. Despite his overall record, he has struggled recently as he has a 1-2 record in his previous three fights.
Ortega Victories’
Ortega has been more of a submission specialist throughout his career, as seven of his 15 professional victories (47 percent) have come with a submission ending the fight.
He has not won with submission since 2017 when he defeated Cub Swanson back at UFC Fight Night 123. If he can snap out of his current funk, it will be tough to expect him to lose this fight.
Rodriguez Analysis
Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez is doing very well in his career as he has a 13-3, 1 no-contest record so far. He is coming off a losing effort against Max Holloway via unanimous decision back on November 13.
He has been struggling as of late as Rodriguez is 2-2 with a no-contest in his previous five fights.
Rodriguez’s Lack of Consistency
Rodriguez has not figured out a way to dominate a fight consistently, as four of his 13 victories have ended via knockout (31 percent), including two of his previous three wins.
He has a chance to continue climbing the featherweight division rankings, and this could be a great chance for him to be the next contender for the championship.
UFC Injury Report
Neither Brian Ortega nor Yari Rodriguez has reported any injuries heading into this fight, so it will be an extremely intriguing matchup with both fighters at 100 percent.
Ortega vs. Rodriguez Betting Preview
Looking at the UFC odds for this fight, second-ranked Brian Ortega is considered to be the slight favorite at -165, while the third-ranked Yair Rodriguez is currently being listed as a slight underdog with +140 odds up to this point.
Brian Ortega vs. Yari Rodriguez Betting Prediction
When looking at the MMA betting trends, both fighters have been struggling to head into this fight, as we discussed earlier in the article.
Rodriguez has a three-inch height advantage, two-inch reach advantage, and 2.5-inch leg reach advantage heading into this fight.
Neither fighter has been doing too hot as of late and needs this win to remain atop the featherweight division rankings.
Ortega Against Rodriguez Matchup Expectation
These fighters are going to have an extremely entertaining matchup, but Ortega has a submission background as he averages 1.19 submissions per 15 minutes in the octagon and has really made that his bread and butter of ending fights.
Rodriguez just attempts to outlast his opponent and dominate the entire fight, but that has been catching up with him.
With the UFC schedule the way that it is, expect Brian Ortega to win and pick up a UFC Featherweight Championship fight in the next few months.
Who to Bet On?
If you are trying to get into the action and want to bet on some of these MMA odds, it is easier than ever! All you need to do is go to whichever sportsbook you plan on using and find the MMA betting section and look for the fight.
If you cannot find it this way, look for the search bar and type in either fighter’s name for it to pop up. With this being the main event of the event, this should be very simple to find.
UFC Pick: Ortega (-165)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.