The UFC featherweight title is on the line this weekend, at UFC 266. However the next contender will likely be determined when Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez come face to face in their bout which is official for November.
After dropping a pair of close decisions to champ Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway rebounded with one of the best performances of his career against Calvin Kattar. As for Rodriguez, he has been on a tear himself lately, with his only loss being to Frankie Edgar since signing to the UFC in 2014.
Now it seems that these top featherweight talents will be coming head to head before the year is out. After some rumors and rescheduling issues, reports have revealed that this fight is official to headline the November 13th main event of UFC Fight Night 197, likely to take place in Las Vegas.
Good to go, per sources. Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) vs. Yair Rodriguez (@panteraufc) will headline UFC Fight Night on Nov. 13. Holloway agreed to the date this week. Gotta believe winner takes on the Volkanovski vs. Ortega winner from tomorrow for the belt. Heck of a main event. pic.twitter.com/I8zZreIrDg
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 24, 2021
Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez Has Major Stakes
Not only is this bout an incredibly exciting matchup on it’s own merits, but Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez has a lot at stake. Namely, it will likely determine who faces the winner of this weekend’s UFC 266 title fight main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.
Max is familiar to both men, having beaten Ortega in one of the best title defenses he had as champion, and in the eyes of many, beating Volkanovski in their second outing. As for Yair, this would be his first crack at UFC gold, after being one of the top prospects the UFC has had to offer for years.
This is an utterly important bout for both Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez, with title implications at stake. It will be interesting to see both how this weekend’s title fight goes, and how the winner of this November main event effects the title picture moving forward into 2022.
