Brian Ortega has opened as a slight favorite over Yair Rodriguez for their July 16 UFC Long Island main event.
Ortega and Rodriguez are set to meet on July 16 live on ABC in a crucial fight for the featherweight division. The winner could very well get a title shot and on paper, it seems like a close fight and the oddsmakers seem to agree. On Thursday, the opening odds were revealed and it saw Ortega as a slight -150 favorite with Rodriguez as a +130 underdog.
UFC Fight Night 210:
Brian Ortega (-150)
Yair Rodriguez (+130)https://t.co/ZChyxDqYPH— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) June 2, 2022
With Ortega opening as a -150 favorite, you would need to bet $150 to win $100 if you like ‘T-City’ to win the fight. If you like Rodriguez to win, a $100 bet would win you $130 if the Mexican pulls off the upset in July.
It is a bit of a surprise to see Ortega open as a favorite as the last time that happened was against Clay Guida. Although he opened as the underdog to Renato Moicano, Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, Korean Zombie, and Alexander Volkanovki, he closed as the favorite against Swanson and Holloway. As for Rodriguez, he is the underdog for the second straight fight.
Brian Ortega (15-2 and one No Contest) is coming off a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 for the featherweight strap. To earn the title shot he beat Korean Zombie by decision after a layoff due to injuries. Before the injuries, Ortega suffered a TKO loss to Max Holloway for the belt. ‘T-City’ is ranked second at featherweight and holds notable wins over Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and Clay Guida among others.
Yair Rodriguez (13-3 and one No Contest) is coming off a competitive decision loss to Max Holloway in November. The fight marked his return to the sport in October of 2019, where he defeated Jeremy Stephens by decision. He’s currently ranked third in the featherweight division and in his career, he holds wins over Korean Zombie, BJ Penn, Alex Caceres, Andre Fili, and Dan Hooker among others.
Who do you think will win, Brian Ortega or Yair Rodriguez?