UFC 284: Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett preview.
UFC 284 brings the UFC back to Australia on Saturday, Feb 11. in the RAC Arena, Perth. The main event pits home crowd favorite and pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski looking to become a double champ when he faces lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. While the majority of the crowd will be fixated on this monumental main event, the co-main promises to be just as exciting. No.2 ranked Yair Rodriguez (14-3, 1 NC) will battle No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett (18-2) for the interim featherweight strap, with whoever comes out on top guaranteed their first title shot against champion Volkanovski.
Both men came into this opportunity counting their lucky stars. Rodriguez lost an exciting back-and-forth fight in November 2021 against Max Holloway before winning by TKO in the first round against another top featherweight contender in Brian Ortega. While the victory looks good on paper, it has to be noted that Ortega suffered a shoulder injury in the first round, which ended the fight.
His opponent, Josh Emmett, has similar doubts swirling around his title shot. Despite being on a five-fight win streak, he has not fought anyone in the current top five rankings of featherweight and many thought he should’ve lost his split decision win against Calvin Kattar in June, last year.
With Volkanovski almost cleaning out the whole featherweight division and moving up to 155 pounds, it seems that these two found themselves at the right time and the right place to capture their first UFC gold, even if it’s an interim title. Don’t let the uncertainty surrounding the contenders fool you, this fight is sure to raise the roof and is the perfect fight to lead us into the highly anticipated main event.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett prediction
This fight could prove difficult to call given the differences in style between the two. Yair Rodriguez is one of the most difficult fighters to face given his eccentric stand-up game. Whether it’s his hands, feet, knees, or elbows, you never know from which direction the Mexican’s attack will come from. Such is the difficulty of facing such an elusive and unpredictable striker that even Max Holloway had to resort to takedowns to keep Rodriguez in check. Perhaps this is the route that Emmett needs to take.
Josh Emmett began his UFC career by demonstrating his elite-level wrestling, a sport he has been training in for more than 14 years. Whilst his grappling proved difficult to handle, Emmett has also been showcasing his devastating one-punch knockout power and much-improved boxing skills. His overhand right is lethal and could spell the end for any opponent.
With two fighters that are known for their wars within the 145 division, it’s unlikely that we will have to suffer from a boring fight prior to the main event. Rodriguez will probably rely on his awkward striking to keep Emmett’s takedowns at bay and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the American set up his killer overhand shot by fainting grappling exchanges. We don’t see a finish given that these two have shown their ability to withstand damage, but don’t be shocked to see it awarded fight of the night after a grueling five rounds. In the end, Mexico gets its second champion this year when Rodriguez defeats Emmett by unanimous decision thanks to his superior striking.
Prediction: Rodriguez by unanimous decision
UFC 284: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski takes place on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.
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