UFC Fight Night 191 is set to be headlined by a mouthwatering featherweight match-up as former champion Max Holloway takes on Yair Rodriguez.
Holloway is coming off a stellar showcase of his striking skills against Calvin Kattar back in January, where he looked better than ever as he outclassed his opponent for the full five rounds.
It was a big statement from the 29-year-old Holloway given that his stock had began falling before that due to having lost three of his previous four fights.
That slump had began with an unsuccessful attempt to move up to lightweight, convincingly losing out by unanimous decision to Dustin Poirier. He did then rebound with a decision victory over Frankie Edgar, but then lost his 145lb belt when he returned to the division to fight Alexander Volkanovski next time out.
Holloway came off second best that night, but in their rematch a few months later Holloway gave a much better account of himself and in some observers eyes was unlucky to come out on the wrong end of a split decision verdict.
As for Rodriguez, he hasn’t actually fought since an October 2019 unanimous decision victory over Jeremy Stephens. His return was initially delayed by having suffered an ankle injury, but then he continued to remain out of action and it eventually emerged that in September of last year he had been failing to keep USADA informed of his whereabouts and not been available for drug testing, leading to a six month suspension.
A formidable striker in his own right with an 8-1-1 UFC record to date, Rodriguez faces a tough test upon his return to action, but one that could give him a golden opportunity to make a big impact upon his return if he could get the better of Holloway.
Holloway vs. Rodriguez headlines a UFC Fight Night 191 card that will also feature the return of Miesha Tate as she comes back from retirement to face Marion Reneau.
