We’ve got a solid UFC card on tap this evening. Tonight’s UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura may not promise the high-stakes action of last week’s UFC 299, but it’s a solid enough way to tie ourselves over until UFC 300. Let’s get into our Christian Rodriguez-Isaac Dulgarian pick, odds and preview. Be sure to check out the rest of our UFC articles, including our full-card breakdown, and or our betting model’s top picks.
Christian Rodriguez-Isaac Dulgarian Pick, Odds and Preview
Rodriguez-Dulgarian Odds
Odds via DraftKings
Weight Class: Featherweight
Rodriguez: +150 | Dulgarian: -205
Rodriguez +3.5: -105 | Dulgarian -3.5: -125
Over 2.5: -115 | Under 2.5: -115
Rodriguez-Dulgarian Pick & Preview
Christian Rodriguez (10-1) looks to implement his slow, suffocating style in what should be a grappling-heavy affair against Isaac Dulgarian (6-0). Though Dulgarian had an impressive debut against Francis Marshall, the books are overlooking Rodriguez too much. I’m riding with Rodriguez in a fight that will test Dulgarian more than he has in his short career.
Rodriguez became something of a hype killer in his past two fights. Two fights ago, he took the wind out of the sails of grappling phenom Raul Rosas Jr., handing him his only professional loss to date. In that bout, he stuffed 13 of Rosas’ 16 takedown attempts, yielding only four minutes of control time while amassing seven minutes of control time himself.
Following that bout, he took on Cameron Saaiman, who was 4-0 in the Octagon, and once again played the hype-killer role, winning by unanimous decision. The two victories are impressive in their own right, but the fact they came against a heavy grappler and an aggressive striker shows how well-rounded Rodriguez’s abilities are.
Dulgarian showed out in his UFC debut, taking Marshall to the mat and pummeling him for over four minutes before the referee finally stepped in. However, Marshall isn’t on the level of Rodriguez, as he is only 1-2 since jumping to the UFC from the Contender Series with his only win coming against a winless Marcelo Rojo.
A common issue with hyped prospects is that they often don’t face the level of adversity necessary to get to the higher reaches of the division in the early part of their career. For some, like Umar Nurmagomedov, they can withstand the pressure and come out victorious — but others will encounter setbacks or flame out entirely.
It’s unclear which type of fighter Dulgarian would be — or if he’ll necessarily face that level of adversity against Rodriguez. With Rodriguez’s ability to put pressure on seemingly unstoppable fighters in his past two fights, I will ride with him to do it again in the plus-money.
Best UFC Rodriguez-Dulgarian Bet & Pick: Rodriguez ML +150 at DraftKings
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