MMA Preview – Rani Yahya vs Ray Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 21
RANI YAHYA VS RAY RODRIGUEZ FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 21? Saturday 13th March, 2021 - 23:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 21? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 21? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 21 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 21? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
RANI YAHYA VS RAY RODRIGUEZ LOWDOWN
The submission wizard Rani Yahya (26-10-1(1)) returns but has only fought twice since August 2018 when he submitted Luke Sanders. That was his third win and submission in a row, but he went on to lose a unanimous decision to Ricky Simon six months later. It was over a year after that in March last year when he returned fighting to a draw with Enrique Barzola so the veteran is now 11-4-1(1) in the UFC.
Ray Rodriguez (16-7) could be fighting for a UFC future after losing his UFC debut back in September. We first saw him on the Contender Series in August 2019 where he got knocked out by Tony Gravely. He bounced back with a submission win over Andrew Perez for Combate Americas and then snapped up the chance to fight in the UFC after Kevin Natividad dropped out of his fight with Brian Kelleher. However, it was not quite a dream start getting submitted in the first round.
RANI YAHYA VS RAY RODRIGUEZ PREDICTION
You just have to look at Yahya’s record to know what his game plan is going to be. He has 20 submissions and zero knockouts and interestingly, half of Rodriguez’s wins have come via submission so it will be interesting to see how he approaches this.
If he has the ego to tangle with the jiu-jitsu world champion it will be a very short night, so he has to try and win the fight on the feet. He has the tools to cause damage, but he has to find a knockout early as Yahya will relentlessly pursue the takedown.
Rodriguez is very tricky on the mat, but Yahya just needs to take him down once to display how many levels above he is and we expect to him to claim his 21st submission one way or another.
Prediction: Yahya via Submission - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
