UFC Denver: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez continues on the main card with a fight in the featherweight division between Julian Erosa and Christian Rodriguez. Erosa is coming off of a first-round submission victory in his last fight meanwhile, Rodriguez has won four straight while looking for his 5th win in a row this weekend. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Erosa-Rodriguez prediction and pick.
Julian Erosa (29-11) was on the verge of losing three in a row until he came up big in his last fight against Ricardo Ramos whom he submitted in round one via guillotine choke. Now, Erosa will be looking to extend his winning ways and get back onto a winning streak when he takes on Christian Rodriguez this weekend in Denver, Colorado.
Christian Rodriguez (11-1) got his shot on the Contender Series back in 2021 and even though he got a dominant win his weight miss didn’t get him signed. However, he made his short-notice debut a year later against Jonathan Pearce and he has since gone 4-1 in his UFC career. With wins in each of his last four fights, Rodriguez will look to make it five in a row when he takes on Julian Erosa this weekend at UFC Denver.
Here are the UFC Denver Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC Denver Odds: Julian Erosa-Christian Rodriguez Odds
Julian Erosa: +170
Christian Rodriguez: -200
Over 2.5 rounds: -155
Under 2.5 rounds: +125
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Why Julian Erosa Will Win
Julian Erosa finally got back into the win column in Julian Erosa fashion cashing in as an underdog submitting Ricardo Ramos in the first round via guillotine choke. Erosa is known for being an opportunistic fighter if you give him an inch he’ll take a mile and that’s what he does time and time again. Being the big underdog yet again will be looking to do the same against the surging Christian Rodriguez this weekend in Denver, Colorado.
Erosa is a kill-or-be-killed type of fighter who’s always in the fight looking for a finish and this fight against Rodriguez will be no different. He’s exceptionally fast on the feet and is always throwing at odd angles making him tough to deal with. Erosa will have a 6″ height and 4″ reach advantage which will give Rodriguez some issues if they elect to just strike on the feet. Erosa will need to utilize his speed and length to keep this fight at a distance from there he should be able to pick Rodriguez apart and as long as he doesn’t get taken down he should run circles around Rodriguez for a potential late finish or a decision victory.
Why Christian Rodriguez Will Win
Christian Rodriguez has had a bumpy road to his MMA career where he got a dominant victory on the Contender Series only to not get signed because he missed weight. He then got the call-up on short notice but had to move up a weight class against a far larger opponent and took the loss. While he has then won his next four fights in a row he’s missed weight on numerous occasions which has now prompted his move up to the featherweight division. However, Rodriguez is now on a 4-fight winning streak and will be looking to make it 5 in a row when he takes on Julian Erosa this weekend.
Rodriguez will be taking on a larger opponent since fighting in the featherweight division since his fight with Jonathan Pearce. The good thing for Rodriguez is that Erosa is a tall and rangy striker and not some strong grappler. This is where Rodriguez will hold the advantage in the grappling exchanges. While Erosa is certainly dangerous in transition with his submission attempts, his takedown defense is lacking and will be a major issue in this fight. As long as Rodriguez can land the calf kicks to make Erosa a stationary target he can then start to land his takedowns and take over in this fight potentially putting Erosa away or getting the nod on the judge’s scorecards.
Final Julian Erosa-Christian Rodriguez Prediction & Pick
This should be a great scrap between these two featherweights. While Erosa is always in entertaining fights and will sport the size advantage here, Rodriguez is a solid fighter who can make this a tough fight for Erosa. Ultimately, Rodriguez will be able to navigate the length of Erosa to get on the inside to land his shots and from there he will be able to take Erosa down to dominate him and either get a finish midway through the fight or the decision victory.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Julian Erosa-Christian Rodriguez Prediction & Pick: Christian Rodriguez (-200), Under 2.5 Rounds (+125)
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