Tag Archives: Featherweight

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UFC men’s weight classes – Ranked

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It’s been a while since the UFC had it’s weight classes as stacked as they currently are across the landscape of the organisation.

With the way MMA is evolving currently, we’re seeing more and more fighters who can do everything to a super high level and that means that amazing fights can show up anywhere on the card, at any time!

But which divisions are the ones to really look out for and which are looking a little slim right now? I’ve ranked them from worst to best.

Light Heavyweight

A division that has just crowned a new champion is usually hard to say that it’s lacking depth, however 205lbs is in the worst state that it’s been for a while.

Teixeira is 42 years old and holds the belt, but beyond Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic there aren’t many guys in the division who you can see being among the top guys in a few years time.

Unless there’s an influx of talent out of nowhere, then it’s hard to imagine this division attracting many eyes going forward.

Middleweight

The top five in this division is stacked and in Israel Adesanya they have one of the most popular fighters in the world as their champion. But outside of that, the division looks a little stale.

Israel Adesanya reacts after defeating Kelvin Gastelum by unanimous decision in their interim middleweight championship bout during the UFC 236 event...

The top five can all fight each other and have mixed results for the most part, but Adesanya has largely cleaned up by beating four of them convincingly so it’s hard to look beyond him as being a level above the rest.

That makes the division a little less appealing and therefore sits low down on this list.

Flyweight

Flyweight never die! A super exciting division because of the speed of the guys in the division, but outside the top four or five there aren’t many guys that you can consider as contenders.

Moreno looks set to reign for a while after dispatching of Deiveson Figueiredo relatively easily so their rematch at UFC 270 is unlikely to be as eventful as their first two bouts. There are a few contenders beyond that but the lack of finishes in the division doesn’t really help either unfortunately and it’s unlikely you’ll see this division headlining a card on its own any time soon.

Heavyweight

The big boys tend to fight at a slow pace and historically don’t make for the most exciting fights, but this new wave of heavyweights is the best in a long time.

Francis Ngannou of Cameroon poses for a portrait after his victory during the UFC 260 event at UFC APEX on March 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The top of the division is full of exciting match ups, with the prospect of anyone ending a bout in the blink of an eye adding to the excitement. But on top of that, there are several young prospects coming through such as Tom Aspinall and Chris Daukaus while Ciryl Gane looks formidable too despite his lack of experience.

Don’t forget Francis Ngannou is the champion and could probably KO a horse, while Jon Jones is still waiting in the shadows to debut among the giants too.

Welterweight

This division would likely be even higher up in this list if it wasn’t for the fact that Kamaru Usman is just a level ahead of everyone. He’s beaten everyone there is to beat in his weight class, but the rest of the division is still absolutely stacked.

Covington would be champion in any other era, Leon Edwards has entered new territory with his abilities, Jorge Masvidal is a superstar that has transcended the sport, Gilbert Burns and ‘Wonderboy’ are in the conversation and Sean Brady is climbing his way up the ranks.

Don’t forget Khamzat Chimaev fights in this division too, so that’s always exciting.

Khamzat Chimaev of Chechnya prepares to fight Gerald Meerschaert in their middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September...

Featherweight

The top three starts at 145lbs with a division that has at least four guys who could be champion in any era. Alexander Volkanovski has proven he is the man with two wins over Max Holloway, but ‘Blessed’ continues to show he is the gold standard too.

Beyond them this division is home to the likes of Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Korean Zombie, Calvin Kattar and now Dan Hooker too.

There a string of exciting fights plus prospects such as Arnold Allen, Giga Chikhadze and veteran Edson Barboza competing at this weight it’s always got fireworks waiting to go off.

Lightweight

This has been considered one of the best divisions in the organisation for a long time and it’s still as stacked as ever.

Dustin Poirier throws an elbow at Justin Gaethje in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Gila River Arena on April 14, 2018 in...

Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor, Rafael Dos Anjos, Beneil Dariush, Tony Ferguson, Brad Riddell, Rafael Fiziev, Joel Alvarez – the list goes on.

It’s almost impossible to make a bad fight at lightweight right now and they all have huge implications in some way or another. What a division.

Bantamweight

Without a doubt in my mind, bantamweight is the place for you to place your attention if you want guaranteed entertainment in the UFC.

Aljamain Sterling is the champion and Petr Yan is interim champ, but the division also possesses the likes of Cory Sandhagen, TJ Dillashaw, Merab Dvalishvili, Rob Font, Jose Aldo in title contention. Then there are veterans like Frankie Edgar, Pedro Munhoz and Dominick Cruz looking to get back into contention.

Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Aljamain Sterling face off prior to their UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX...

Then beyond that you have the likes of Marlon Vera, Sean O’Malley, Adrian Yanez, Randy Costa and Song Yadong in the division you could quite easily create a top 30 rather than a top 15. It’s got everything and is comfortably the best division in the UFC right now.

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Dan Hooker looking to move back to Featherweight

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Dan Hooker has revealed that he is planning to move back down to featherweight after a test run to make weight.

Hooker is currently a top-ten ranked lightweight contender but has last three of his last four bouts in the division after initially going on a run at 155lbs.

‘Hangman’ has previously competed at 145lbs but moved up after suffering defeats to Yair Rodriguez and Jason Knight. He eventually went on a run of seven wins in eight bouts at lightweight, before his most recent run of results.

After wins against all of Ross Pearson, Marc Diakiese, Jim Miller and Gilbert Burns he was defeated by Edson Barboza in 2018. He bounced back from that with wins over James Vick, Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder to enter the top five of the division.

However against the top fighters in the division Hooker has struggled, suffering a decision defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC Vegas 4 before a first-round KO defeat to Michael Chandler at UFC 257.

He returned to winning ways against Nasrat Haqparast via decision at UFC 266, but took a short-notice bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 and was dominated en route to a first-round submission defeat.

Those defeats have seemingly convinced him to take a look back down at 145lbs, as he revealed in a tweet that he had made the 146lbs limit during a test cut.

The move down to 145lbs could set up a number of top fights for the primary striker with the likes of Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Korean Zombie, Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar making up the top five behind current champion and teammate Alexander Volkanovski.

Hooker would likely enter against one of those top opponents should he make the final decision to move down in weight again, considering his current ranking in the weight class above.

Holloway looks certain to take on Volkanovski in his next bout for their trilogy title fight, while Ortega and Yair Rodriguez could be matched up having both suffered defeat in amazing bouts against the two top guys in their last outings.

Kattar is scheduled to fight Giga Chikhadze in January, so it’s possible that Hooker could re-debut in the division against the Korean Zombie, who was well beaten by Ortega before dominating Dan Ige last time out. Arnold Allen would also offer up a potential opponent.

2022 looks set to be the start of a new chapter for ‘Hangman’, and one that could have title implications for the New Zealander.

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UFC Vegas 42 Fallout: The best is still ‘Blessed’

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A very good card turned in one of the fights of the year in the main event after nine knockouts from the first ten fights at UFC Vegas 42.

The card itself had plenty of decent names to call from, but none bigger than ‘Blessed’ Max Holloway who was squaring off against the world number three Yair Rodriguez in a featherweight banger to headline.

The main event delivered a back and forth battle between two of the very best strikers in the UFC, with the former champion coming out on top after a war.

Rodriguez won the first round on many people’s scorecards, using leg kicks that worked so well for Alexander Volkanovski in his first fight with Holloway and landing some big punch combinations too.

Holloway struggled to get into boxing range to use his jab because of the kicks, so started going to the body and trying to push through with kicks of his own to close distance.

It worked, but worked better for him was when he started using his wrestling skills.

A career-high three successful takedowns in the fight were a big help towards what ended up being a unanimous decision win for Holloway, earning a 49-46 from one judge and 48-47 from the other two judges.

It showed that despite being arguably the best boxer in the UFC, Holloway is still one of the most well-rounded fighters in the organisation and he isn’t afraid to go to the well when he feels that he needs to.

A third fight with the champion Volkanovski now seems inevitable, with ‘Blessed’ becoming the clear number one contender with yet another win over one of the division’s elite fighters.

But what this fight proved to anyone who ever doubted him is that Holloway can whether a storm. He can adapt when he isn’t necessarily getting the better of the striking exchanges and he will still try and out-work anyone in front of him.

Another title fight in 2022 beckons for the people’s champion, and it seems inevitable that the belt will be back around his waist sooner rather than later.

jorge masvidal withdraws from ufc 269 bout with leon edwards
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Max Holloway can show the world why he’s still the people’s champion at 145lbs

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Once the featherweight title bout at UFC 251 came to it’s conclusion, there weren’t many people around who thought that Max Holloway would be leaving without the belt.

After winning the first three rounds in many people’s eyes, Volkanovski rallied in that bout to take the last two and allowed the judges to have a decision to make. Ultimately, they ruled that the Aussie retained.

Holloway was confused and heartbroken, but he didn’t let it stop him or hold him back.

After a short break away from the cage, ‘Blessed’ returned at Fight Island in the first card of 2021 to take on Calvin Kattar in a bout right at the top of the division.

What ensued was a clear sign that Holloway was at the peak of his powers and one of the very best 145-pound fighters that has ever existed in MMA.

It was a masterful display of striking against someone who many considered to be one of the best strikers in the division. He broke record upon record for total strikes and significant strikes in a bout and showed the world that his claim to being the best boxer in the UFC wasn’t just words.

He was set to be the next challenger for the title once again, only for the Volkanovsi vs Brian Ortega fight to get postponed due to Covid-19. Instead of waiting around and staying inactive, Holloway opted to take a fight against the ever-dangerous Yair Rodriguez instead.

Max Holloway punches Calvin Kattar in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 17, 2021...

Holloway unfortunately got an injury and was forced to withdraw from the original date in July which has put his year out of funk, but he once again agreed to the bout for UFC Vegas 42 despite the title fight now having taken place.

The 29-year-old has maintained the attitude of ‘anyone, any time, any place’ even since losing the title. A ranking is irrelevant to the Hawaiian, because if he is truly the best in the world as he believes he is then he should win anyway.

A truly inspirational mindset and one that has kept him at the forefront of everyone’s mind when discussing the title picture.

Kattar believed a win over Holloway set him up for a title shot immediately because of the weight his name carries. Ortega revealed that if he had beaten Volkanovski then he wanted his first defence to be against Holloway not only for revenge, but because he’s still seen as the best in the world.

Max Holloway celebrates after defeating Frankie Edgar in their UFC featherweight championship bout during the UFC 240 event at Rogers Place on July...

Holloway knows that a victory confirms his place as the number one contender, but he knows a loss could potentially set him back in his quest to earn back the title he still calls his.

But that’s Holloway and that’s why he is so popular. He expects to win every fight he is in and fans love him. Now this weekend he will look to show once again why he is the people’s champion, knowing a win gets him back in the hunt to be the UFC champion.

yair rodriguez can fulfil potential at ufc vegas 42
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Yair Rodriguez can finally reach his potential at UFC Vegas 42

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The UFC will return to the Apex this weekend in Las Vegas after two weeks away with four world title fights headlining those cards.

But this weekend will see a world title calibre fight headlining UFC Vegas 42 as former world champion Max Holloway takes on the man many have earmarked as a future champion, Yair Rodriguez.

It will be the first time in over two years that Rodriguez has stepped into an octagon, yet he’ll main event the card against arguably the best in the world.

It tells you all you need to know about just how much Rodriguez is rated by the UFC, his peers and the fans around the world.

His career started way back in 2014 with a win in Mexico City at UFC 180. He followed that up with wins over Charles Rosa, Dan Hooker, Andre Fili, Alex Caceres and the legendary BJ Penn to put himself into contention for a title shot.

He came up against Frankie Edgar though and was beaten to a pulp, with the doctor calling an end to the fight at the end of the second round with his eye swollen shut.

There was a period of readjustment for his expectations by some after that bout, but Rodriguez returned over a year later and earned a hail Mary win against the Korean Zombie with a stunning reverse elbow in the final second of the fifth round.

He’s since beaten Jeremy Stephens in a fight of the night performance too, cementing his place among the top of the division.

His lack of fights recently hasn’t been for a want of trying either. He had an issue with UFC management, and has seen a fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov cancelled three different times.

But now against Max Holloway, he has the chance to show what all the fuss is about.

This isn’t a washed up version of ‘Blessed’ either. Yes he lost the world title and the subsequent rematch (however controversially), but he has bounced back with one of the best performances of the year when he smashed Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7 in January.

Rodriguez will be coming up against one of the best pure strikers in the UFC today, and yet nobody is being bold enough to completely rule him out of winning the fight and there’s a reason for that. He’s incredibly talented and has the heart of a lion.

He is a brilliant striker in his own right, with a kicking-based style but he’s also got great power in his hands and good submission skills if he needs them.

Yair Rodriguez celebrates his victory over BJ Penn during the UFC Fight Night event at the at Talking Stick Resort Arena on January 15, 2017 in...

A win for Rodriguez this weekend would not only elevate him to immediately become the next challenger for Alex Volkanovski, but it would justify years of hype around his name.

He has a chance to fulfil that destiny and become the man that everybody believed he was when he flattened BJ Penn. He won’t get a bigger opportunity to become a household name than this.

It won’t be easy and even defeat isn’t the end of the world, but it’s the manner of the defeat. If he gets dismantled in a striking battle like he did against Edgar when he was outwrestled, then the hype is likely to die out.

But if he can keep the fight interesting throughout, have some moments and just misses out then much like Michael Chandler at UFC 268 his stock will only rise even in spite of the result.

He’s either among the elites or he isn’t and this is his chance to prove where he stands.

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UFC setting a bad example with Aspen Ladd main event spot

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Weight cutting has long been a topic of discussion in the MMA world, with many disputing just how necessary it is for fighters.

Often you’ll see fighters cutting 20+lbs of weight during fight week in order to make their weight class before pouring the weight back on before they get in the cage, just so that they can have as much of an advantage as possible on fight night.

In recent years, we’ve started to see a change in mentality from fighters though as the sport evolves and fighters become more and more skilled.

Fighters like Michael Chiesa, Henry Cejudo, Dustin Poirier and Israel Adesanya have opted to move up in weight and found great success at their more “natural” weight class, as opposed to killing themselves for a slight edge.

With the women’s weight classes being so light however, the 10lbs space between the divisions tends to leave a few of them in the in-betweener stage.

Take for example Aspen Ladd, the women’s bantamweight contender who has suffered defeat just once in her professional career. Ladd has however struggled with the 135lbs weight limit throughout her UFC tenure.

Her debut was scrapped when she fell ill on the day of the fight owing to a rough weight cut. She then missed weight by 1.8lbs two fights later and the fight was scrapped when Leslie Smith refused to fight at a catchweight.

She then just about made weight against Germaine De Randamie, despite shaking and wincing in pain on the scale. She was cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission but following her 16-second knockout defeat, she was suspended after it was found that she had gained 18% of her weight back between weigh-ins and fight night.

Most recently though, her fight against Macy Chiasson at UFC Vegas 38 was scrapped when Ladd once again was visibly shaky and in pain on the scale as she missed weight by 1lbs. The fight was cancelled when the doctors failed to clear her.

Yet just two weeks later, the 26-year-old finds herself named as the A-side in a main event bout against Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 40 in the featherweight division.

Now, granted that the bout is up a weight class, but how is it that Ladd is being rewarded with an immediate new date and main event slot so soon after missing weight yet again?

Chiasson will have to wait for a new opponent, have a new fight camp in preparation and continue working her way up the ladder, while her opponent who broke the rules gets an upwards push.

Considering that UFC president Dana White has regularly slated fighters for not making weight as unprofessional, his decision to move Ladd into this spot is odd.

Should she win, the UFC will likely pretend it never even happened and she’ll be pushed as a potential contender to Amanda Nunes’ second belt.

Maybe it’s the timing that makes the entire thing seem off, but the UFC have rewarded someone who couldn’t do their job properly and tried to shortcut their way to success.

Aspen Ladd poses after failing to make weight during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on October 01, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

She’ll now get her show money that she missed out on previously because she gets a new fight so quickly, a potential win bonus and performance bonus if it goes well and a brand new opportunity to start fresh.

It’s a bad example that the UFC have set and if it continues to happen in the future, don’t be surprised to see even more fighters missing weight because of a lack of consequences.

ufc vegas 39 fallout: Rodriguez is a true contender at 115lbs
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Can Brian Ortega fulfil his destiny and become featherweight champion?

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It’s been a long time coming but Brian Ortega has the chance to fulfil his destiny and become the king of the featherweight division this weekend at UFC 266.

A long awaited title fight between Ortega and defending champion Alexander Volkanovski will headline the card in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, six months after their initial bout was cancelled due to a positive COVID test.

But the six month delay has only added to the idea of destiny in T-City’s mind and it’s difficult to argue against his thought process.

When Ortega last had a title shot, he went into the fight against Max Holloway as the favourite. In December 2018, Ortega was an undefeated phenom with submissions and knockouts scattered throughout his fight resumé.

But as he found out in that fight, there was a very big difference in skill level between himself and the champion at the time.

Ortega was pummelled for four full rounds, with the Hawaiian boxing his face off. It was so bad that not only did Holloway talk to him throughout the fight, ‘Blessed’ also helped him block strikes in the cage and then even called the finish before the round in which the doctor eventually called a halt to the bout.

He took almost two years out to hone his skillset after that, mastering his craft and becoming a much more polished striker.

He took on The Korean Zombie on Fight Island a year ago and while many expected him to try and get his opponent to the ground, with a significant striking advantage for Jung. However instead what was transpired was a boxing masterclass from Ortega on the night and a dominant decision win.

It showed that in those two years away that the work he had been doing was justified. With Volkanovski holding two wins over Holloway, albeit one is controversial, Ortega now is the man who is seemingly the biggest threat to his throne.

Volkanovski’s best moments in the UFC have come with his ground game, using his wrestling to dominate opponents and his striking to do damage. But if he takes the fight to the ground against Ortega he’s entering a world of danger and with Ortega’s improved striking, Holloway might be the only guy that can out-box him.

Many tipped Ortega as a future champion when he broke into the scene but his first chance came too early against one of the greatest of all-time. UFC 266 may be the perfect moment for him to fulfil his destiny and become the best in the world.

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UFC 266: Two title fights and major return announced for September

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The UFC have announced three huge fights for UFC 266 in September, including two huge title fights and the return of Nick Diaz.

Diaz, the older brother of fan favourite Nate, hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he took on the legendary Anderson Silva in the main event at UFC 183 in the Brazilian’s first fight back after breaking his leg against Chris Weidman.

We will also see Alexander Volkanovski finally defend his UFC featherweight title against Brian Ortega after their initial bout was cancelled in March when the champion tested positive for COVID-19 the week before the fight. Valentina Shevchenko will also defend her flyweight title, taking on Lauren Murphy in the co-main event.

Diaz’s fight against Silva initially ended with the former middleweight champion earning a decision win, but both men tested positive after the fight and were hit with USADA bans with the result overturned to a no contest.

Diaz was initially banned for five years for marijuana use, but upon appeal saw that reduce to 18 months. He has also served suspensions in that time for unpaid fines to the Nevada State Athletic Commission as well as for failure to report his whereabouts.

He and Lawler fought back at UFC 47 back in 2004, with Diaz winning via second round knockout. Lawler went on to become the reigning welterweight champion during his UFC career but is currently on a four-fight losing streak after defeats to Rafael Dos Anjos, Ben Askren, Colby Covington and most recently Neil Magny.

The fight will not be a main event but will be five rounds, just like his brother Nate’s bout against Leon Edwards at UFC 263 last month.

In the main event, Volkanovski looks to continue his unbeaten run in the UFC when he takes on ‘T-City’ Ortega in a featherweight title fight.

Once their March bout collapsed, both fighters agreed to take part in the new season of The Ultimate Fighter as coaches. The series finale is currently set for some time in August.

Volkanovski is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Max Holloway where he won the belt then defended it for the first time at UFC 251, while Ortega dismantled The Korean Zombie at UFC Fight Island 6 to earn himself a title shot.

As for Shevchenko, she has cemented herself as the most dominant women’s flyweight of all time and has defended her title five times including most recently against Jennifer Maia at UFC 255 and then Jessica Andrade at UFC 261.

She will take on Lauren Murphy, who has worked her way up the rankings and put together a five-fight win streak with victories over Mara Romero Borella, Andrea Lee, Roxanne Modafferri at UFC Vegas 3, Liliya Shakirova at UFC 254 and Joanne Calderwood at UFC 263.

The card will take place on September 25th from Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena.

conor mcgregor got smoked at ufc 264 and is done at the top level
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Korean Zombie and Dan Ige want to end talk of being a ‘nearly man’ at featherweight

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The UFC featherweight division is currently in a position where it’s at it’s healthiest in years when it comes to contenders.

Alexander Volkanovski is the champion and he is scheduled to take on Brian Ortega in the fall following the conclusion of their Ultimate Fighter season. Beyond them, Max Holloway is still seen by many as the best in the world and he’ll take on Yair Rodriguez in July with many rating the Mexican as one of the best around over the last few years too.

You then have Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar lurking at the top, as well as the two men main eventing UFC Vegas 29 this weekend – ‘Korean Zombie’ Chang Sung Jung and Dan ’50K’ Ige.

When you step outside of the very elite of the division, the two first fighters you pull up out of that weight class are Jung and Ige.

Both intelligent, powerful strikers with a sense of going for the finish and better than the rest around them. But when they get the chance against the best of the best, they seem to fall short.

Korean Zombie’s previous title fight saw him lose via TKO to Jose Aldo when he dislocated his shoulder in the fourth round, before a four-year hiatus due to military service. He returned with a win but then got knocked out in the final second by a reverse elbow from Rodriguez in a five-round war that he was winning up to that point.

He followed that up with two first-round wins, before a devastating and dominant defeat to Ortega in his last fight.

Ige’s career hasn’t had as many moments, but the pattern is similar. His record says he earned a victory of Edson Barboza via split decision but anyone that watched that bout knows he lost it. His next fight earned him a main event against Kattar, where he got beaten up for 25 minutes on the feet.

He bounced back with a 22 second win over Gavin Tucker to set this one up, but it’s very intriguing to see how this goes.

Both guys prefer to stand, but have an underrated ground game and will look to set the pace early on. But the most important thing for the winner is that they’ll show they can hang with top guys and they’re not a ‘nearly man’ anymore. It could be seen as a way to overcome that obstacle in their career so far and push them towards another crack at the elite of the elite.

It’s what they need to do if they want to get in the title conversation going forward and with the top of the 145lbs weight class so tight, a spectacular performance could be exactly what separates them from the pack.

ufc 263: adesanya vs vettori 2 – results (highlights)
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Max Holloway to fight Yair Rodriguez in July main event

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The UFC have announced that Max Holloway will return to action in the octagon against Yair Rodriguez in the main event of the July 17th Fight Night card.

It will be the first time Holloway has fought since his stunning performance in January where he beat Calvin Kattar in a five-round clinic at UFC Fight Island 7, with many thinking that would be enough to get him back in the title picture.

Rodriguez hasn’t fought since October 2019 when he beat Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision, missing out the entirety of 2020 after withdrawing from an August bout against Zabit Magomedsharipov due to injury.

The fight will see the number one ranked 145lbs fighter in the world take on the number three ranked, with the winner likely to get the next title shot.

Holloway has already claimed his right to the shot, after losing back-to-back decisions to the champion Alexander Volkanovski before bouncing back with one of the best performances in UFC history.

With Volkanovski scheduled to take on Brian Ortega back in March, a title fight seemed inevitable for ‘Blessed’ but when the fight was cancelled as the champion tested positive for COVID-19 the division got held up.

The UFC then paired Volkanovski and Ortega together as coaches for the newest series of The Ultimate Fighter, meaning they won’t fight now until later in the summer. That meant that Holloway would have had to wait until the end of the year for another fight, which is clearly something he isn’t keen on.

Holloway has always claimed to be willing to fight anyone and everyone, so taking an extra fight and putting his number one ranking on the line isn’t something that would have fazed him in the slightest.

For ‘Pantera’, it’s a chance to finally earn himself a UFC title shot too. Since joining the UFC in 2014 Rodriguez has gone 8-1 (1 NC) beating the likes of Charles Rosa, Dan Hooker, Andre Fili, Alex Caceres, BJ Penn and the Korean Zombie. His only defeat came to former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. He got a win over Jeremy Stephens following a no contest the first time around after an accidental eye poke just 15 seconds in.

It should be a fantastic striking battle and will headline an excellent card, which is also scheduled to have Islam Makhachev take on Thiago Moises in the co-main event.

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