UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez betting odds, preview, and pick

There's a lot on the line at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, Nov. 13. Max Holloway is trying to stay in the title hunt, but will Yair Rodriguez rise to the occasion in the biggest test of his career?

Let's dive into this bout, beginning with the latest betting odds.

Holloway clawing back to title contention

Holloway bounced back from two controversial decision losses to Alexander Volkanovski looking no worse for wear, and then gave the mother of all beatings to Calvin Kattar in a win that is likely to compromise Kattar’s career.

When his time is up, Holloway is destined to be recognized as one of the greatest featherweights of all time. He has fought some of the best fighters of his generation, and now has to turn away the challenge of a rising contender.

Rodriguez is ending a long layoff

It has been two years since Rodriguez last entered the octagon in a winning effort against Jeremy Stephens. While this fight was initially scheduled for the summer, Rodriguez suffered an injury during training camp that delayed the fight another three months.

The best thing Rodriguez brings to this fight is his ground game, and he also hasn’t accumulated the miles Holloway has over his career. Whether Rodriguez is actually ready for the best of the division has yet to be seen.

Holloway will dole out a beating to Rodriguez

The skill gap between Holloway and Rodriguez is greater than the odds suggest. We have an ex-champ who came close to actually beating his opponent into paste in his last fight going up against a fighter who couldn’t beat the bones of Frankie Edgar in his biggest fight to date. Rodriguez isn’t an active enough striker to throw a wrench in Holloway’s plans, and it wouldn’t be out of line to preemptively wish Rodriguez a speedy post-fight recovery.

The inactivity outside the octagon weighs just as much as inside. There are few fighters as supremely conditioned as Holloway, and his boxing talent is the best in the UFC.

There doesn’t seem to be a likely path for Rodriguez here. He’s outgunned in the striking department and is facing the best opponent of his career. Once Holloway gets in a rhythm, the strikes will pile up and a stoppage will soon follow.

UFC Fight Night pick: Holloway