UFC Vegas 42 is the next stop on the organization’s calendar and it’s going down this weekend. The event will take place on Saturday, November 13 and will be held, once again, at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promising card can also be viewed exclusively on ESPN+.
While there are several exciting matches slated to go down at UFC Vegas 42, most fans are looking forward to the featherweight main event between former UFC Featherweight Championship Max Holloway and former Ultimate Fighter: Latin America winner Yair Rodriguez. They’re ranked first and third, respectively, when it comes to featherweight rankings, so this fight will be key to either man getting a championship opportunity in the near future.
Meanwhile, BetOnline is predicting that it’ll be an uphill battle for the No. 3-ranked Rodriguez, who has +500 odds to defeat Holloway at UFC Vegas 42. Also known as “The Panther,” Rodriguez has found success since joining UFC back in November 2014, going 8-1-0 in 10 fights (one was ruled no contest). His most recent bout came against Jeremy Stephens just over two years ago, resulting in an unanimous decision victory for Rodriguez.
UFC Vegas 42 Odds: Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez
Odds via BetOnline as of Wednesday, November 9
- Record: Max Holloway (22-6-0) vs Yair Rodriguez (13-2-0)
- Moneyline: Holloway (-700) vs Rodriguez (+500)
- Total Rounds: 3.5 — Over (-155), Under (+125)
- Method of Victory: Holloway via decision/points (+110)
The complete odds list is available at BetOnline.ag.
Holloway the Overwhelming Favorite
Holloway’s quest to regain his featherweight championship as he takes on Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42. The 29-year-old Hawaiian was looking dominant as a champion, successfully defending his title three times before losing it to Alexander Volkanovski back at UFC 245 in December 2019. While he received a rematch a few months later at UFC 251, Holloway came up short, losing via split decision.
The good news is that Holloway has won his only fight since then, defeating Calvin Kattar in January of this year in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Now, Holloway is the overwhelming -700 favorite in his fight against Rodriguez. While the latter has a lot of potential and is no slouch, it’s hard to imagine him keeping pace with the former champ for the full five rounds. After all, 15 of Holloway’s 28 professional MMA fights have been decided by decision — good for about 54%. On the other hand, only a bit less than 38% of Rodriguez’s bouts have gone the distance.
Either way, a longer fight at UFC Vegas 42 definitely favors the No. 1-ranked Holloway, whether he wins by points or if he tires Rodriguez out. BetOnline is favoring Holloway winning by points/decision at +110 odds, so that seems to be the likeliest outcome for Saturday’s clash.
Rodriguez UFC Vegas 42 Odds
Meanwhile, BetOnline is predicting that it’ll be an uphill battle for the No. 3-ranked Rodriguez, who has +500 odds to defeat Holloway at UFC Vegas 42. Also known as “The Panther,” Rodriguez has found success since joining UFC back in November 2014, going 8-1-0 in 10 fights (one was ruled no contest). His most recent bout came against Jeremy Stephens just over two years ago, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for Rodriguez.
Two years is a long time, so it’ll be interesting to see how Rodriguez fights — especially with him being so close to challenging for the UFC Featherweight Championship. According to BetOnline, his likeliest method of victory is to win by KO/TKO at +800 odds.
Even if that is the top option, it seems unlikely considering that Holloway has never been knocked out in his career and if it ever does happen, it seems tough to believe that it’d be Rodriguez to accomplish the feat. Holloway is averaging a whopping 7.26 significant strikes per minute compared to Rodriguez, who is sitting at 4.33. The former also has better accuracy and strike defense compared to the latter, so looking for the knockout victory doesn’t seem like the best idea.
With that being said, it looks like Rodriguez’s best strategy is to figure out a way to force the fight to go the distance and hope that the judges side with him.
