Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett Preview & Picks
Yair Rodriguez is backed to win the interim featherweight title.
This is likely to be an all-out war that earns ‘Fight of the Night’ and requires the judges’ verdict.
Rodriguez is the more accurate striker and gets hit a little less, so we lean towards him here.
- 2 of Yair Rodriguez’s last 3 fights have gone the distance
- Each of Josh Emmett’s last 3 fights have gone the distance
- Yair Rodriguez has a 45% striking accuracy (Emmett 37%)
- Yair Rodriguez has a 5” height advantage over Josh Emmett
Yair Rodriguez Form
Yair Rodriguez goes into this fight as the #2 ranked featherweight with a record of 14-3, 1 No Contest.
Rodriguez’s form over the past couple of years has been patchy, with three wins, two losses and one No Contest coming in his last six fights.
The 30-year-old Mexican saw a nine-fight win streak end when the doctor stopped his fight with Frankie Edgar in May 2017.
‘El Pantera’ rebounded in his next fight with a last-gasp stoppage of ‘The Korean Zombie’ but he was unable to follow that up.
An accidental eye poke halted his fight with Jeremy Stephens after only 15 seconds, although there were no such issues in the rematch as Rodriguez won by unanimous decision.
He again failed to string together wins though, dropping a decision to Max Holloway after ending a two-year absence from the Octagon.
However, Rodriguez got back to winning ways in his sole outing off 2022, beating top contender Brian Ortega by TKO in the first round.
Josh Emmett Form
Josh Emmett takes an 18-2 record into this fight which has made him the #5 ranked featherweight.
Emmett is riding a five-fight win streak into the interim title fight – his best ever run of form in the UFC.
The 37-year-old started this streak when he bounced back from a second-round knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens by knocking out Michael Johnson in the third round.
‘The Fighting Falmer’ then backed that up with a first-round knockout of Mirsad Berkic to land ‘Performance of the Night’ honours.
Emmett kept his streak going as he then beat Shane Burgos by unanimous decision, but it was another 18 months before he fought again.
The American made up for lost time though as he earned the nod from the judges after a three-round fight with Dan Ige.
Emmett then took his streak to five fights in his only outing of 2022, edging Calvin Kattar by split decision.
Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett FAQs
Where can I watch the Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett live stream?
You can watch the Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett live stream at Stake.
Where is Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett taking place?
Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett is taking place at UFC 284 on Saturday, February 11 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.