UFC on ESPN 71: Piera Rodriguez vs Ketlen Souza Preview & Prediction
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Strawweights kick off UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park as DWCS graduate, Piera Rodriguez, takes on former Invicta champion, Ketlen Souza.
Piera Rodriguez vs Ketlen Souza facts
What time are Piera Rodriguez and Ketlen Souza expected to walk out?
Where is UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park? UFC Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC on ESPN 71
What TV channel is UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park main card
Tatsuro Taira vs Park Hyun-sung (Flyweight)
Mateusz Rebecki vs Chris Duncan (Lightweight)
Elves Brener vs Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
Karol Rosa vs Nora Cornolle (Women’s Bantamweight)
Neil Magny vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (Welterweight)
Danny Silva vs Kevin Vallejos (Featherweight)
UFC on ESPN: Taira vs Park prelims
Rinya Nakamura vs Nathan Fletcher (Bantamweight)
Rodolfo Vieira vs Tresean Gore (Middleweight)
Nick Klein vs Andrey Pulyaev (Middleweight)
Austin Bashi vs John Yannis (Featherweight)
Piera Rodriguez vs Ketlen Souza (Women’s Strawweight)
Rafael Estevam vs Felipe Bunes (Flyweight)
Piera Rodriguez: “La Fiera” aims to push her UFC record above .500
Former LFA champion, Piera Rodriguez (10-2), returns for her fourth UFC appearance to get things rolling at the Apex. “La Fiera” began her UFC tenure with decisions over Kay Hansen and Sam Hughes, before running into a rough two fight skid. While there’s no shame in losing to submission specialist Gillian Robertson, being disqualified for an intentional headbutt against Ariane Carnelossi was a notably bad look for the DWCS alum. She enters this contest following an upset decision victory over Josefine Knutsson, righting the ship in a contest that could have seen her cut from the UFC in defeat.
Ketlen Souza: The hard-nosed Brazilian guns for her eleventh career finish
An unashamed brawler, Ketlen Souza (15-5) invariably makes for entertaining viewing. The power-punching Brazilian rebounded from a debut kneebar defeat to Karine Silva with a decision over Marnic Mann, before a stunning Performance of the Night winning upset over the hyped Yazmin Jauregui at UFC 306. Despite closing as a heavy underdog, “Esquentadinha” throttled the Mexican prospect unconscious with a rear-naked choke, although it is worth noting that she caught Jauregui with two brutal low blows prior to dropping and submitting her. She was last seen in action in February, dropping a split decision to Angela Hill.
Piera Rodriguez vs Ketlen Souza prediction
On paper, Rodriguez’s wrestling is the clear pick in this fight. The Venezuelan native averages an impressive 4.06 takedowns every 15 minutes, something that bodes ill for Souza in light of the fact that multiple opponents have found success in grounding her throughout her professional career.
However, it is important in this case to note that “La Fiera’s” most recent wrestling showcase came against Josephine Knutsson, a volume Muay Thai striker who is not known for her ability to stay standing in the face of relentless takedowns. She’s also arguably at a notable disadvantage when it comes to raw physicality in this contest, a state of affairs that means she could very well be a sitting duck on the feet should the heavy-handed “Esquentadinha” manage to consistently shuck off her takedowns.
Simply put, if Rodriguez is unable to ground Souza and keep her there, she is likely going to be in deep trouble here. The oddsmakers may be leaning towards Rodriguez to grapple her way to victory once again, but the younger underdog leverages her edge in power and experience to pull off another upset win to kick off the event.
