Instead of TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen, it will be Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson who will serve as the competitors in the main event of this upcoming UFC Fight Night in Sin City. Check out our preview and prediction for this fight below.
After losing to Carla Esparza via a split decision in July 2020, Rodriguez picked up the pieces and bounced back strong. In her last fight, Rodriguez destroyed Amanda Ribas, earning a second-round TKO victory. With that Rodriguez ended a two-fight winless streak, as she also drew with Cynthia Calvillo in December 2019. The 34-year-old Brazilian is a dangerous striker. She has six knockout victories in her career against zero KO losses. She also has one submission victory and has never been submitted before. Rodriguez is averaging 4.86 significant strikes landed per minute on 50 percent accuracy. Look for her to use his length against Waterson, as Rodriguez owns a three-inch reach advantage and is taller by three inches. After getting taken down by Esparza five times in nine attempts, Rodriguez showed much better takedown defense in the Ribas fight, as she was only taken to the mat once.
Nicknamed “The Karate Hottie,” Waterson will look to intensify her momentum after defeating Angela Hill via a split decision in September 2020. Prior to that, Waterson had back-to-back losses to Esparza (split decision) and Joanna Jędrzejczyk (unanimous decision). Against Hill, Waterson landed 17 percent of her significant strikes via kicks compared to just three percent by her opponent. She will have to utilize her kicks and mix up his strikes to keep Rodriguez on her toes, especially since the latter has the reach advantage. But she could also just bring this fight to the ground, where she can negate her opponents’ reach and take advantage of her seemingly superior grappling skills. Waterson has nine wins via submissions. Given Rodriguez’s susceptible takedown defense, Waterson must be planning to shoot for takedowns early and often on Saturday. Waterson is averaging 1.52 takedowns per 15 minutes. Waterson kicked off her UFC career with two submission wins over Angela Magana in The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale and against Paige VanZant during UFC Fight Night: VanZant vs. Waterson.
