Preview: UFC Fight Night 230 ‘Yusuff vs. Barboza’

Bantamweights

Christian Rodriguez (9-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Cameron Saaiman (9-0, 3-0 UFC)

ODDS: Rodriguez (-142), Saaiman (+120)

Rodriguez is a solid prospect, but he was clearly positioned as the B-side for his April bout against Raul Rosas Jr. The UFC was firmly in the business of pushing Rosas, the youngest signee in promotional history, and “CeeRod” looked like the type of opponent who would play directly into the phenom’s standout grappling game. Rosas dominated the fight for about a round but gassed himself out while doing so, allowing Rodriguez to take over the fight in dominant fashion and upset the apple cart with a clear decision win. Six months later, Rodriguez finds himself back in the same position testing another young prospect who seems to have the UFC’s backing, this time in the form of 22-year-old Saaiman. A teammate of Dricus Du Plessis, “MSP” gets by with a similar approach. Saaiman’s offense might not be technically pretty, but he is absolutely relentless in bringing pace and aggression in the name of outlasting his opponents. It has worked every time out thus far, but Rodriguez represents a clear step up in competition and a solid litmus test as to how far the South African can go through sheer persistence. Saaiman’s combination of aggression and technical gaps should make for a lot of back-and-forth exchanges, particularly on the mat, and the bet is that he can stay ahead of Rodriguez in a close fight. Saaiman should be the more potent striker whenever this fight is on the feet, and Rodriguez is also quite capable of letting his opponents back into a bout. Without Saaiman crumbling in the manner that Rosas did, he should be able to coast this out. The pick is Saaiman via decision.

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Yusuff vs. Barboza
Maia vs. Araujo
Martinez vs. Yanez
Pereira vs. Petroski
Chairez vs. da Silva
Rodriguez vs. Saaiman
The Prelims