UFC Fight Night 194: Rodriguez vs Dern
Ready for Santos vs. Walker? Free UFC Fight Night 194: Rodriguez vs Dern and betting odds & predictions? Here is a full breakdown of the leadup, what to expect during the fight, and some logical outcomes.
Event: UFC Fight Night 194: Rodriguez vs Dern
Date: October 9th, 2021
Time: Main Card: 7 P.M. PST.
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC Fight Night 194: Rodriguez vs Dern takes place October 9th from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Mackenzie Dern vs Marina Rodriguez headlines the show.
#6 Marina Rodriguez +135 vs #4 Mackenzie Dern -165
The #6 and #4 ranked UFC strawweights will clash in the main event of this show. Mackenzie Dern comes into this one riding a 4-fight win streak and a 6-1 UFC record (11-1 overall). Meanwhile, her opponent Marina Rodriguez is coming off a decision victory over Michelle Waterson back in May. This one really comes down to whether or not Dern can take the fight where she wants it. 4 of her 6 victories in the octagon have come via submission but her opponent here has excellent takedown defense and will look to keep the fight standing. This being a 5-round fight also adds an interesting element to the bout.
MMA Prediction: This is going to be a tough fight for Dern to win. She’s at a height and reach advantage and I don’t like how she matches up against Rodriguez’s ability to keep a fight standing. Dern has worked to improve her striking, but that’s not how she wins fights. I think Rodriguez is going to frustrate her all fight long and earn a decision victory.
Randy Brown -200 vs Jared Gooden +170
Randy Brown will enter the cage for the 12th time in his UFC career this weekend. He submitted Alex Oliveira in the first round of his last fight back in April. Brown has a 7-4 UFC record but has never managed to string more than 2 wins in a row, keeping him from reaching higher up in the welterweight division. His opponent, Jared Gooden, scored his first UFC win in his last fight. He needed just over a minute to knockout Niklas Stolze in July. Prior to that he’d dropped his first two UFC fights via decision.
MMA Prediction: Never underestimate a guy who has 7 wins in the UFC. I like Randy Brown to pick up his 8th victory in this fight.
Tim Elliott +135 vs Matheus Nicolau -155
Tim Elliott is on a 2-fight win streak but dropped his 3 previous fights and 5 of his previous 7 UFC bouts. His opponent, Matheus Nicolau is 4-1 all-time in the UFC. His only loss in the octagon came when he got caught by Dustin Ortiz back in 2018.
MMA Prediction: I’m actually a little surprised that Nicolau is only a -155 favorite here. Elliott is a fun fighter to watch, he’s durable, he’s tough and he’s an intelligent fighter. Many have found a way to beat him previously, however, and I predict Nicolau will find a way to do the same on Saturday.
Mariya Agapova +155 vs Sabina Mazo -180
Both of these fighters are coming into this one coming off a loss. In the case of Agapova, however, she hasn’t fought since August 2020. Mazo dropped a decision to Alexis Davis in her last fight.
MMA Prediction: Agapova was a heavy favorite when she got TKO’s by Shana Dobson 14 months ago. That’s a long layoff after a disappointing loss ( 1st time being KO’d too) and it is raising some red flags for me. I like Mazo to pick up her 4th UFC win here.
Phillip Hawes vs Chris Curtis
“Megatron” Phil Hawes is 3-0 to start his UFC career. 4-1 if you count his 1-1 record on Dana White’s contender series. Anyone given the nickname “Megatron” and seemingly had that nickname approved by his training partners, is someone you want to keep an eye on.
Deron Winn dropped out of this fight and journeyman Chris Curtis stepped in on less than 48 hours notice and will make his UFC debut. Odds for the fight have yet to be released as of this writing but regardless, Hawes should win this fight.
MMA Prediction: I’ll be pretty surprised if Hawes doesn’t come away from this fight with a win. He likes to finish his fights, and looks to be an exceptional athlete. Plus Curtis will be stepping up from his normal weight class. Surprises sometimes happen in short-notice fights like this but I’m not expecting that here.