The Co-Main Event for UFC 284 from Perth, Australia will be a showdown for the vacated UFC Featherweight Championship (145lb). Mexico's No. 2 ranked Yair Rodriguez will take on UFC veteran and No. 4 ranked Josh Emmett. Don't miss any of the action as one of these fighters will be crowned champion for the first time. Check out our UFC odds series for our Rodriguez-Emmett prediction and pick.

Yair Rodriguez has a record of 14-3 and comes in as the No. 2 ranked featherweight in the world. He's made a rapid ascent to the top of the rankings with his exciting striking and lethal ground game. He won his last fight when Brian Ortega's shoulder popped out, effectively earning him the next title shot. It'll be his first time facing an opponent like Josh Emmett, so look for Rodriguez to dig deep into his bag of attacks as this fight goes on. Rodriguez stands 5'11” with a 71-inch reach.

Josh Emmett is currently 18-2 and comes in as the No. 4 ranked featherweight in the world. In his UFC career, he's 9-2 and has fought the “who's who” of the featherweight class. His current five-fight win streak has been especially dominant as fighter continue to struggle in solving the puzzle that is Josh Emmett. With his last three going to a decision, Emmett knows exactly what it takes to grind out a win. He'll look to battle for all five rounds against Rodriguez. Josh Emmett stands 5'6″ and has a 70-inch reach.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

UFC 284 Odds: Yair Rodriguez-Josh Emmett Odds

Yair Rodriguez: -190

Josh Emmett: +160

Over (4.5) rounds: -146

Under (4.5) rounds: +114

How to Watch Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett

TV: UFC Pay-Per-View

Stream: ESPN+ UFC PPV, UFC Fight Pass

Time: 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)

*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Yair Rodriguez Will Win

Yair Rodriguez continues to be a fan favorite as one of the most exciting strikers in the UFC. Fans will remember his last-minute KO with an upward elbow against Korean Zombie and hope for a similar outcome in this one. Rodriguez has a plethora of strikes that he's willing to throw. His spinning kicks, elbows, and creative knees are all dangerous weapons as he looks to pounce viciously once his opponent is hurt. Rodriguez has also shown a dangerous ground game as he can throw up submissions from his back.

Giving up a strength disadvantage, Rodriguez will be the MUCH better striker on the feet. He'll also be much faster in there with his foot movement, so it'll be tough for Emmett to get in close. Rodriguez will want to avoid the ground in this fight as he'll have trouble getting up from under Emmett. If it stays standing, Rodriguez has a great chance to put his opponent away with his creative strikes. Of course, Emmett has the one-punch knockout power that landed him this shot in the first place, so Yair Rodriguez will have to be extra-cautious in his defensive efforts. If this fight goes into the deep rounds, Rodriguez will have to keep his striking output consistent and counter with quick shots when Emmett throws hard.

Why Josh Emmett Will Win

Most fighters and people in the UFC organization will whole-heartedly tell you that no one deserves this title shot more than Josh Emmett. He's the epitome of hard work and shows up to the gym everyday with a relentless work ethic. The now 37-year old Emmett has had his sights set on gold for quite some time now, so he'll be looking to perform in the biggest spot of his career. He's a tank of a featherweight and extremely hard to hit on the feet. Couple that with his one-punch knockout ability, and you have a problem that many fighters in the division have yet to solve.

The biggest question here will be the weight cut for Josh Emmett. He's already a huge featherweight to begin with, so he's left to cut a ton of weight in this division. At his age, cuts become harder and harder, which showed in this weigh-in as Emmett looked like a skeleton wearing a skin-sheet. He'll most definitely be the bigger and stronger fighter in the cage, but it is worth monitoring closely how the cut affects him at this age. Josh Emmett's path to victory is simple: grapple Yair and hold him down. That's it. If Emmett can get Rodriguez on the ground, I doubt that Yair will be able to get up from his suffocating grip. From there, he'll look to land his concussive ground-and-pound.

Final Yair Rodriguez-Josh Emmett Prediction & Pick

I think this fight can go two ways. The first, Yair Rodriguez pieces Emmett up on the feet and wins in convincing fashion. The second, Emmett wrestles and holds down Yair for five rounds and wins a decision. Either are very plausible and either way, this fight will be a great matchup. I like Yair Rodriguez with the prediction ever so slightly but beware: if Josh Emmett can score a few takedowns in the first round, this may be his fight to win.

Final Yair Rodriguez-Josh Emmett Prediction & Pick: Yair Rodriguez (-190)