UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson (May 08, 2021)

[THE_LOCKSMITH]

ESPN 8:00 pm ET
Marina Rodriquez vs Michelle Waterson
Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono
Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas

ESPN+ 5:00 pm ET
Philipe Lins vs. Ben Rothwell
Kyle Daukaus vs. Phil Hawes
Ludovit Klein vs. Mike Trizano
Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park
Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

[richie360]

Not going to lie I’m not to pumped about this one. Love Cerrone though, guy is a legend.

[Pinoy-T-X]

You would think after all the cancellations, they would have bumped Magny/Neal or Gillespie/Ferreira as the Main Event.

[magpie878]

Sadly, I'm hardly excited about this one. Looking forward very much, to Canelo that night, though.

[hankcream]

Some interesting fights on the card, but why the hell is Maurice Greene vs de Lima on the main card?

[unlearn]

Gillespie scorecards no action +130 looks nice

[PaperTrail07]

Ferreira and Magny as Dogs ---Morono live as welll

[gym rat]

Gillespie scorecards no action +130 looks nice

It's unlikely he will be able to finish Ferreira. He may even increase the chances of being submitted himself if he takes Ferreira to the ground

[gym rat]

Why is Michelle Waterson a go to main event fighter. Do people actually run to the television because they heard Michelle Waterson is fighting? Cowboy definitely should be the main event in my opinion. He is older and probably shot but still more exciting to watch then Michelle Waterson.

[PaperTrail07]

Ferrira is a god damn beast and will win here.....his last fight was close and BD is on a streak right now---looks at his peak honestly--amazing skills.....no hate on Gillespe...just think like the Lee fight...Ferreira will be too strong and the striking will be too much....

It's unlikely he will be able to finish Ferreira. He may even increase the chances of being submitted himself if he takes Ferreira to the ground

[PaperTrail07]

Waterson IMO is main evernt material....but Cowboy deserves his own show IF it is his last fight......

Why is Michelle Waterson a go to main event fighter. Do people actually run to the television because they heard Michelle Waterson is fighting? Cowboy definitely should be the main event in my opinion. He is older and probably shot but still more exciting to watch then Michelle Waterson.

[magpie878]

I'm no big Waterson fan, but that main event fight vs Hill was a lot of fun, though I feel Hill won it overall.

Nothing wrong with a so-so fill-in main event that might be good, ONCE in a while.

[gym rat]

Ferrira is a god damn beast and will win here.....his last fight was close and BD is on a streak right now---looks at his peak honestly--amazing skills.....no hate on Gillespe...just think like the Lee fight...Ferreira will be too strong and the striking will be too much....

It will be a question of whether Gillespe will be able to hold Ferreira down and grind him for three rounds.

[PaperTrail07]

Not a chance IMO... Really depends if Gilliespe has worked on other aspects of his game IMO.....Dariush is on another level IMO and that was a close one as far as takedowns...

It will be a question of whether Gillespe will be able to hold Ferreira down and grind him for three rounds.

[Hugo de Naranja]

Why is Michelle Waterson a go to main event fighter. Do people actually run to the television because they heard Michelle Waterson is fighting? Cowboy definitely should be the main event in my opinion. He is older and probably shot but still more exciting to watch then Michelle Waterson.

Literally just because she is hot.

[Hugo de Naranja]

A bit surprising to me that Waterson vs. Rodriguez is at 125. I guess that's because of the short notice but Waterson has fought as low as Atomweight.

[Sanity Check]

With Michelle Waterson training out of jacksonwink.

Would anyone care to guess what jacksonwinks win loss record in 2021 is?

Not to mention their win loss record in 2020.

[kobejoshy]

To me this a big deal and I didn't realize that the fight was at 125. Fighting up 20 lbs from 105 lbs is a lot! Marina will be much bigger..... No headlock takedowns for the karate hottie

[Thor4140]

Why is Michelle Waterson a go to main event fighter. Do people actually run to the television because they heard Michelle Waterson is fighting? Cowboy definitely should be the main event in my opinion. He is older and probably shot but still more exciting to watch then Michelle Waterson.

One of the most bizarre main events in ufc history. Have absolutely no interest in this fight. Rather watch an see if Ribas bounces back before watching the overrated Karate very average hottie

[Thor4140]

Ill see what Kyle Daukas mindset is tomorrow from one of his training partners. I believe Kyle had covid an that is why his last fight was cancelled against that Russian beast. You would think the Russian would have gotten a fight first

[Thor4140]

Diego worried about Dana whacking him lol. He should be scared. There is quite a list Dana has already whacked just having a hard time finding it.

[Thor4140]

Waterson IMO is main evernt material....but Cowboy deserves his own show IF it is his last fight......

Main event material?

[frankieunits2685]

Diego worried about Dana whacking him lol. He should be scared. There is quite a list Dana has already whacked just having a hard time finding it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Diego has CTE.

[Hugo de Naranja]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Diego has CTE.

Sad but possible for sure.

[hankcream]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Diego has CTE.

I thought he sounded like someone tripping on meth, I've dealt with junkies and they come up with that same paranoia shit. Plus he made a point to say that he wasn't having a gay relationship with his coach- which means he probably is.

[WolfTicketDealer]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Diego has CTE.

I would be surprised if he didn't. Pretty sure he has the most significant strikes absorbed in UFC history (at least to the head, although Cerrone or Stephens might have him beat).

[povis]

Why Gillespie is relatively big favorite over Carlos i see a competetive fight Ferreira improved his striking a lot.

[Sanity Check]

I thought he sounded like someone tripping on meth

I'm glad someone gets it.






Although I think Fabia is more like a father figure to Diego than a gay lover.

In all the years Diego fought in the UFC, I don't remember Diego's father, mother or family being mentioned once.

He could lack that guidance in his life, which is why he's so vulnerable to the influence of a guy like Fabia.

[PaperTrail07]

Carlos is flat out under rated.....

Why Gillespie is relatively big favorite over Carlos i see a competetive fight Ferreira improved his striking a lot.

[Sanity Check]

Why Gillespie is relatively big favorite over Carlos i see a competetive fight Ferreira improved his striking a lot.

Gillespie could have the skillset to implement the same gameplan Beneil Dariush used vs Ferreira.

But will he choose to.

[UncleChael]

The first MMA fighter I ever heard of was named Diego Sanchez

[JIBBBY]

Is a strange card. Don't understand the main event???

[Sanity Check]

main event???

Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez are ranked #6 and #9 in the UFC rankings.

They're also close to having the most followers on social media. Karate Hottie having around 1.5 million followers on instagram.

Biggest stars @ the event with the best ranking, and biggest affect on title contention.



Cowboy has 2.2 million followers on instagram (biggest name on the card) but Alex Morono stepped in on late notice to replace Diego Sanchez. Don't know if that would be satisfying as a main event.

[JIBBBY]

Prelim write ups... MMAMANIA...







170 lbs.: Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris

Christian Aguilera (14-7) put consecutive losses to Matt Frincu and David Michaud behind him to win two three straight, including a 59-second knockout of Anthony Ivy in his Octagon debut. His second effort wasn’t quite as successful, as Sean Brady overpowered “The Beast” on the mat en route to a second-round submission.
Ten of his professional wins, including six of his last seven, have come by form of knockout.
Guyana’s Carlston Harris (15-4) — who boasts wins over future UFC competitors Michel Pereira and Wellington Turman — put together a 6-1 run en route to a stint on Dana White’s “Lookin’ for a Fight.” There, he choked out 17-1 Dagestani standout Saygid Izagakhmaev to secure a spot in the Octagon.
He is the taller man by three inches.
“Mocambique” may be fairly one-note with his suffocating grappling, but it’s the right note to play against Aguilera, whose weakness off of his back was on full display in the Brady fight. Aguilera’s considerable advantages in punching technique and power won’t play much of a factor when Harris has the gas tank and persistence to threaten with takedowns from bell to bell.
While Aguilera really only needs one good shot to turn any fight around, Harris is incredibly difficult to get away from once he manages to tie up, and I don’t see Aguilera finding the money shot during his brief opportunities outside the clinch. Harris grinds him out on the fence and the ground for 15 one-sided minutes, potentially wrapping up Aguilera’s neck at some point.
Prediction: Harris via unanimous decision
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185 lbs.: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park

Less than 10 months after handing “Contender Series” alumn William Knight his first career defeat, Tafon Nchukwi (5-0) got his own shot on the program, which he made the most of with a brutal head kick knockout of Al Matavao. Though he was forced to make his first trip to the judges, his subsequent Octagon debut proved successful as well, overpowering Jamie Pickett en route to a unanimous decision win.
His previous four professional wins and all three of his amateur victories came by form of knockout.
South Korean’s Jun Yong Park (12-4) saw a seven-fight win streak come to an end in his Octagon debut, where he gave Anthony Hernandez everything he could handle before succumbing to a second-round anaconda choke. Subsequent efforts proved more successful, wrestling his way to decisions over Marc-Andre Barriault and John Phillips.
“Iron Turtle” gives up two inches of height and four inches of reach to Nchukwi.
Maybe it’s just some lingering resentment towards trainer Lloyd Irvin, but I’m just not super impressed by Nchukwi. While he’s clearly a tank of a man, he’s so damn slow and plodding that any capable striker not intimidated by his power should be able to get the better of him. Park, a highly adept boxer with some strong wrestling to back it up, looks like he fits the bill.
Nchukwi is admittedly still just 26 and very early in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career — monumental improvement between his last fight and now certainly isn’t out of the question. Still, Park’s seemingly got the technical edge and has never been stopped with strikes, so expect him to out-box Nchukwi for a narrow decision win.
Prediction: Park via unanimous decision
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145 lbs.: Mike Trizano vs. Ludovit Klein

Mike Trizano (8-1) — Stipe Miocic’s first Lightweight pick on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27 — lived up to the requisite expectations by winning both his fights in the house and subsequently defeating Joe Giannetti at the Finale. After narrowly edging out castmate Luis Pena in his second Octagon effort, he dropped to 145 pounds to face Grant Dawson, who choked him out midway through the second round.
This will be his first fight in almost exactly two years.
Ludovit Klein (17-2) put together a seven-fight win streak on the Eurasian circuit before stepping up on short notice to face Shane Young in Sept. 2020. Though he missed weight by four pounds, he managed to stop Young in just 76 seconds for his third consecutive head kick finish.
His 16 professional finishes are split evenly between knockouts and submissions.
Barring some serious improvement on Trizano’s part during his time away, he’s in for a rough evening. Klein was undoubtedly one of the best “New Blood” surprises of 2020, and his speed and stopping power look far more potent than Trizano’s sound-but-basic kickboxing. So long as Klein’s battle with the scale proves more successful than the last one, I expect another highlight-reel finish.
As good as Trizano is (and he’s definitely solid) he seemingly lacks the “X-factor” needed to trip up Klein on the feet and isn’t a sharp enough wrestler to test the Slovakian’s takedown defense. In the end, either a straight left or a left shin upside the dome seals the deal sometime in the first two rounds.
Prediction: Klein via second-round technical knockout



125 lbs.: Ryan Benoit vs. Zarrukh Adashev

Ryan Benoit (10-7) began his UFC career by alternating losses and wins, amassing a 3-3 record and taking home a post-fight bonus for his debut bout with Josh Sampo. “Baby Face” has since dropped two straight, losing decisions to Alatengheili and Tim Elliott.
His nine professional finishes include eight by form of knockout.
Though he fell in his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut, former kickboxer Zarrukh Adashev (3-3) went on to win three straight under the Bellator banner, two of them inside the distance. He’s yet to taste victory in the Octagon itself, though, falling short against knockout artists Tyson Nam and Sumudaerji.
He gives up 3.5 inches of reach to Benoit.
Losing to the likes of Nam and Sumudaerji is nothing to be ashamed of, and now that he’s fighting someone closer to his own height, I expect a much better showing from Adashev. Though Benoit has serious power, his standup never quite developed enough to properly deliver it, and his offensive wrestling isn’t particularly potent.
Adashev has Benoit out-classed in a pure striking battle, which Benoit’s underdeveloped takedown game is insufficient to prevent. A fast-paced slugfest sees Adashev land the cleaner, more telling blows to seal the deal.
Prediction: Adashev via unanimous decision
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265 lbs.: Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Despite falling to eventual winner Juan Espino in the second round of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28, Maurice Greene (9-5) emerged as one of the show’s biggest personalities, and a perfect (3-0) Octagon start certainly helped raise his profile. He’s just 1-3 since, however, most recently falling to Greg Hardy in Oct. 2020.
He’ll have six inches of height and seven inches of reach on “Pezao.”
Brazil’s Marcos Rogerio de Lima (17-7-1) spent six fights as a UFC Light Heavyweight before two consecutive weight misses sent him back to Heavyweight. His latest stint at 265 pounds has seen him defeat Adam Wieczorek and Ben Sosoli amid submission losses to Stefan Struve and Alexander Romanov.
He has knocked out 13 professional foes and submitted another three.
Rogerio de Lima is and always has been a massive underachiever with one of the worst ground games in the entire organization, but damn if the guy can’t thump. Even when he’s fighting above his ideal weight, there are very few fighters capable of trading leather with him, and Greene doesn’t number among them. “The Crochet Boss” isn’t particularly adept at using his reach to the fullest, meaning “Pezao” will inevitably find his way into the pocket and start dropping hammers.
In addition, Rogerio de Lima’s functional offensive wrestling looks sufficient to take the fight to the ground if things get hairy on the feet. He also hasn’t won or lost consecutive fights since 2014, so history is on his side. Though he’s incredibly adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, expect Rogerio de Lima to lamp Greene in the first round.
Prediction: de Lima by first-round knockout

[JIBBBY]

Main...

Geoff Neal

Record: 13-3
Key Wins: Belal Muhammad (UFC Fight Night 143), Niko Price (UFC 240), Mike Perry (UFC 245), Frank Camacho (UFC 228)
Key Losses: Stephen Thompson (UFC Vegas 17),Kevin Holland (Xtreme Knockout 34)
Keys to Victory: Neal is a sniper. The Southpaw applies the classic double threat of left hand and left kick better than perhaps anyone in the division, firing both strikes with a serious ferocity. So far, he’s knocked out eight of his opponents.
This is a great match up for the Texan because Neal has the perfect style to pick apart Magny. Historically, Magny struggles when faced with dedicated out-fighters. Despite his range, Magny’s punches are not the quickest, and his lankiness tends to leave him vulnerable to power kicks.
Neal is a better athlete than his opponent — important for clinch wrestling — who excels at managing distance. At range, Neal will have the ability to blast Magny out of stance with his left leg, and that same kick can easily end the fight with a clear connection to the liver or head. To further muddy the waters, Neal could take a page from Lorenz Larkin’s book by mixing in left kicks up the middle.
If Neal is kicking his opponent to pieces, Magny will have two choices: walk through the fire in the hopes of clinching or hang back and accept defeat — a pair of bad options.
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Neil Magny

Record: 24-8
Key Wins: Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Fight Night 78), Johny Hendricks (UFC 207), Hector Lombard (UFC Fight Night 85), Carlos Condit (UFC 219), Rocco Martin (UFC 250), Li Jingliang (UFC 248), Robbie Lawler (UFC Vegas 8)
Key Losses: Santiago Ponzinibbio (UFC Fight Night 140), Michael Chiesa (UFC Fight Island 8), Demian Maia (UFC 190), Rafael dos Anjos (UFC 215), Lorenz Larkins (UFC 202)
Keys to Victory: Magny’s best weapon is his pace. Whether working tirelessly from the clinch to score takedowns or peppering his foe at distance with long jabs and kicks, Magny always looks to set a higher rate of action than his foe can match.
Against Neal, Magny cannot be defensive. He doesn’t have the firepower to back Neal off if “Handz of Steel” gets going, and at least early on, the takedown/clinch is going to be hard to come by. If Neal feels confident and starts letting off combos, Magny is in danger.
To avoid such a violent fate, Magny has to press forward. Neal may be a competent counter puncher, but Magny’s reach can help keep him safe there ... provided he gets full extension on his punches. Regardless, risk is unavoidable when fighting a nasty puncher like Neal, and in this case, Magny will be safer if he’s the man leading the dance.
Double jabs, calf kicks and clinch work represent Magny’s best chance at scoring the upset.
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Bottom Line

Both men need this win.
Neal has an opportunity here to bounce right back into the mix. He has such clear potential and puts on tremendous fights — no one is going to hold losing to a resurgent “Wonderboy” against him that harshly. If Neal can deny another wrestler and knock him out in the process, well, there are a lot of wrestlers atop the ranks at 170 lbs. Wins like that get people excited!
As for Magny, he’s seemingly stuck in a gatekeeper to the elite role. The only way to change that is a series of consecutive wins against really tough competition. Neal certainly qualifies as just that, so it would be a valuable victory to start that journey at least.