Max Holloway (#1) and Yair Rodriguez (#3) are two exciting fighters, while Holloway possesses solid fighting fundamentals, Rodriguez takes the lead in terms of creativity.
Holloway’s Strengths
- Cardio
- Striking Volume
- Distance management
- Great boxing
- Good fighting spirit
Holloway’s Weaknesses
- Susceptible to leg kicks
Rodriguez’s Strengths
- Understanding of patterns
- Efficient striking
- Ability to create angles
- Good kicks
- Good feints
Rodriguez’s Weaknesses
- Susceptible to head strikes
What does Holloway need to do to win?
Max Holloway is one of the best featherweight fighters of all time, he possesses all the skills and abilities necessary to fight anyone (especially when it comes to striking), which he has showcased throughout his career thus far. Holloway puts constant pressure and high striking volume on his opponents, often overwhelming them mentally as well as physically. To win against Rodriguez requires Holloway to follow his normal game plan; get in the boxing range and strike relentlessly. Doing this will make it harder for Rodriguez to capitalize on Holloway’s striking patterns. Furthermore, Rodriguez often drops his hands when he and his opponents are in the kicking range, Holloway needs to capitalize on this key by using kicks to set up his punches. For example, using an oblique left kick to step in and come up with an overhand. This will allow Holloway to close the distance and land some strikes before Rodriguez has the chance to create angles and move away.
What does Rodriguez need to do to win?
Rodriguez is a creative fighter who does a great job of reading his opponents’ tendencies and patterns, which he then uses to counter with his own strikes. With that being said, reading patterns can be very hard when a guy like Max Holloway is throwing relentless strikes from a close distance. Therefore, it is important for Rodriguez to keep this fight in the kicking range as much as possible. Rodriguez needs to utilize his ability to create angles and use them to keep distance and to land kicks to the legs and body. Furthermore, it is important for Rodriguez to use his selective striking method to match Holloway’s cardio and land big strikes from time to time to outdo it.
Prediction
While there are many factors that affect the outcome of a fight, I think the two major factors for this particular fight are fundamental techniques and cardio, both of which favor Holloway. With that being said, sometimes creativity can transcend its surrounding – therefore, I wouldn’t completely count Rodriguez out of this fight.
