While the first fight between these two world-class featherweight fighters ended in uneventful fashion, our Rodriguez vs Ortega prediction is that this bout will be among the most memorable UFC fights we’ve seen in some time.
Mexico City should be absolutely stoked that two of its proverbial sons are squaring off in the octagon this weekend. While only one of these fighters is actually from Mexico, both boast Mexican heritage — and have each produced many means of making Mexico proud across their respective careers.
Yet, all that matters on Saturday is which of these warriors will continue their path back to a championship bout — especially because our Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega prediction is that the winner is in line for the next title shot.
UFC Fight Night 237: Rodriguez vs Ortega Prediction
Yair Rodriguez Preview
Despite losing to the former featherweight champion in his last fight, there’s no question that Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez — a Mexican fighter with an 18-4 professional record, which includes seven knockout and five submission victories — is one of the most exciting mixed martial artists to watch in the world right now.
Yet, while he was ultimately bested by Volkanovski last year, “El Pantera” did produce some impressive moments in that fight, and appeared to put Volkanovski in danger more than once.
What’s for sure is that Rodriguez’s flashy, kick-centric style is truly one of a kind, and the violent grace that “El Pantera” fights with is unmatched among his opponents.
In the first fight between Rodriguez and Ortega — which Rodriguez technically won in the first round, after Ortega suffered a shoulder injury — Rodriguez was more or less landing his striking at will against Ortega.
While Rodriguez is a solid grappler in his own right, there’s no question that he’ll want to keep this fight against Ortega on the feet for as long as possible.
If he can manage to do so, then our Rodriguez vs Ortega prediction is that “El Pantera” should produce some more iconic striking moments for fans this weekend — and can perhaps earn a nice performance bonus in addition to his guaranteed payout in the process.
Brian Ortega Preview
Unfortunately for the MMA community, we haven’t seen Brian “T City” Ortega — an American fighter with a 15-3 professional record, which includes three knockout and seven submission victories — fight since July 2022, which was the last time he was matched up against Yair Rodriguez.
Ortega ultimately lost that fight due to a dislocated shoulder that he suffered in the first round. While that wasn’t how anybody wanted the fight to end, there’s no denying that Ortega was taking a lot of damage from Rodriguez prior to that dislocation occurring.
Yet, that undesirable outcome is now behind him — and Ortega can take lessons learned from that last fight into this rematch.
What’s certain is that Ortega is one of the best grapplers not only in the UFC’s featherweight division, but in the entire UFC. He can submit anybody in the world — even Yair Rodriguez, who is no slouch in the grappling department.
The problem, however, is that Ortega has got to get Rodriguez to the ground before he can utilize his striking. And in order to do that, Ortega will need to strike.
While we haven’t seen Ortega in the octagon in some time, there’s reason to believe that he has spent recent years sharpening his striking ability.
Our Rodriguez vs Ortega prediction is that, even if Ortega isn’t able to match Rodriguez’s striking, if he can punch and kick enough to earn some respect from Rodriguez, that could suffice to get the fight to the ground — which is where Ortega becomes an appealing underdog.
Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega: A Late Finish In Store
Our official Rodriguez vs Ortega prediction is that Yair Rodriguez will win this fight.
We have no doubt that both fighters possess the ability to finish each other. That being said, we think that both Rodriguez and Ortega have proven they’re well rounded enough to negate each other’s best assets for the first few rounds.
For that reason, we believe that taking the Over 3.5 rounds — which is currently available at -105 — is a solid bet to make.
That being said, we think that the winner of this fight is going to do by finish, in either the fourth or fifth round. Whether that’s Yair Rodriguez getting a spectacular knockout — currently available at +180 — or Brian Ortega getting a sneaky submission — currently available at +300 — is anybody’s guess.
But because we think that Rodriguez will ultimately emerge victorious, we think that his knockout prop is a winning bet.
Mexico City is receiving one of the best UFC Fight Night cards in recent memory — and we believe that this five round co-main event fight is certain to steal the show.
Grant Young is a sports writer from San Francisco. He has had two professional Muay Thai fights: he got knocked out in one, and got a knockout in the other. When it comes to his favorite fighters, it's Israel Adesanya, and then it's everyone else.