Max Holloway has successfully defended his #1 ranking spot against Yair Rodriguez. Going to the fight, Holloway was a heavy favorite which almost dictates that Holloway would win easily but that did not play out that way.
It made sense with the betting odds since Holloway was the former UFC champion and was coming off an all-time performance against Calvin Kattar. Meanwhile, Yair Rodriguez had issues with the USADA and has not fought for 2 years.
In the fight, it was a back-and-forth war that could have gone either way. Usually, Holloway puts on endless pressure and drowns his enemies underwater but he could not do so against Rodriguez. The way Rodriguez strikes is on par with Holloway, his accuracy and speed are what gave Holloway trouble.
In just the first round, Rodriguez gave a more striking output than Holloway which is impressive, knowing he is fighting a volume striker like Holloway. Rodriguez also landed heavy shots but Holloway did not even flinch. Holloway’s granite chin might have saved him numerous times in the fight.
Holloway still put on the pressure, landing shots of his own that put Rodriguez on back-pedal but Rodriguez just lands shots at unexpected angles. He even landed an elbow that would have knocked out most of the featherweights.
Due to getting hit more, Holloway engaged in grappling as it could be a safer path to victory. Although Holloway showed that his striking was also the best, mixing up to the ground is a sign that he could adjust and not strike against a dangerous Yair Rodriguez.
Holloway pretty much won most of the rounds due to landing better shots and most importantly choosing to grapple more. His adjustments were great mid-fight which is not an easy thing to do, knowing Holloway’s style.
At the end of the bell, three judges gave it to Holloway via unanimous decision but it was not a one-sided beatdown but rather a back and forth war. Rodriguez did great, and knowing he was coming off of 2-year lay-off and to put on that type of performance is just astonishing. Hopefully, Rodriguez will stay active in the future.
As for Holloway, he called out Alexander Volkanovski for a trilogy fight which is the only fight that also makes sense since Holloway has already fought the top contenders of the division. Their rematch was controversial with some giving the win to Holloway.
