Their fight will serve as the co-main event of UFC 284, which is taking place this coming Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Yair Rodríguez vs Josh Emmett Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yair Rodríguez | -172 |
| Josh Emmett | +134 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: RAC Arena in Perth, Australia
- Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023
- Time: ~10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+
Yair Rodríguez Coming to Australia as a Betting Favorite
Yair Rodríguez is 14-3-1 in his professional career and is currently sitting in the No. 2 position in the UFC Featherweight rankings. He’s 3-2-1 in his last six fights, with his most recent fight resulting in a TKO win over Brian Ortega in Round 1.
Still, he won that fight only after his opponent suffered a shoulder injury which rendered him incapable of continuing. Nevertheless, he does have an impressive portfolio, with wins over such elite fighters as Jeremy Stephens, Chan-sung Jung, and others.
Rodríguez is a well-rounded fighter with amazing stamina, which makes him one of the top flyweight fighters in the world. That’s why it’s no surprise he was given a title shot, but there’s a big question about whether he can take it.
Josh Emmett Deserves More Recognition
Josh Emmett is 18-2 overall with five straight wins in the UFC. During his surge, he defeated Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic by KO/TKO, as well as Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, and Calvin Kattar by decision.
Same as Rodríguez, Emmett too is a well-rounded fighter. He’s a great wrestler, who used to compete in NAIA wrestling. Emmett also has a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he’s been using mostly to defend. His main offensive weapon, however, is striking.
He lands powerful punches that can put practically any other featherweight to the ground. The evidence of this is that in his UFC career, he’s recorded 11 knockdowns, three of which resulted in a knockout win.
Yair Rodríguez vs Josh Emmett Prediction
Yair Rodríguez has better fight stats than Josh Emmett, including things like striking accuracy, number of significant strikes per minute, takedown defense, and so on. Still, the fact is that Emmett has fought much tougher opponents (at least in recent times) than Rodríguez. He’s also on a much better run than his Mexican rival, which is why we think an upset might happen.
Pick: Josh Emmett to win by decision