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Yair Rodriguez is a walking highlight reel, best known for his stunning last-second knockout of Chan Sung Jung in a 2018 bout that the Mexican was on the verge of losing by decision. The KO came at 4:59 of Round 5 via a no-look, upward-trajectory elbow that collapsed “The Korean Zombie” in his tracks. It was a thing of beauty.
On Saturday, Rodriguez has an opportunity to further enhance the perception of him within the upper echelon of the UFC men’s featherweight division.
Facing Max Holloway in the main event of a matinee UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Rodriguez can instantly transform himself from must-see attraction to championship contender. Holloway is a former 145-pound champion and is No. 10 in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Defeating him would elevate Rodriguez into the title picture.
Rodriguez (13-2, 1 NC) has lost only once in nearly nine years. That defeat came in 2017 against former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar, just a few months after Rodriguez had knocked out another legendary ex-champ, BJ Penn. Rodriguez is unbeaten in three outings since the Edgar loss, but he has not competed since October 2019 thanks to a US Anti-Doping Agency suspension. He did not fail a drug test, but failed to keep USADA apprised of his whereabouts for testing purposes.
He can make all of that fade into the past if he can handle Holloway (22-6), who is coming off a virtuosic performance in his last appearance. In a unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar in January, Holloway shattered several UFC records, landing 445 significant strikes (old record:…
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Source : espn
