Flyweights
Kleydson Rodrigues (7-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Shannon Ross (12-6, 0-0 UFC)Good on Ross for making it here. “The Turkish Delight” had more than a decade’s experience as a pro heading into his bout on Dana White’s Contender Series in August, when he lost to Vinicius Salvador in what was likely the best fight of the season. Ross put up a shockingly game effort against an opponent with every athletic advantage before falling in the second round, enough so that both men earned contracts. Now it is time for Ross to prove himself on the UFC roster in his home country of Australia, and in a bit of deja vu, he faces another highly athletic Brazilian. Rodrigues was a bit of an unknown before competing on DWCS in 2021, as he put in an impressively one-sided win against Santo Curatolo and looked like one of the UFC’s best flyweight prospects. However, things went much more poorly for Rodrigues in his UFC debut opposite C.J. Vergara in May. Vergara’s consistent aggression and ability to eat Rodrigues’ offense seemed to throw the Brazilian off-guard, allowing him to bring enough pace and volume to the table to eke out a narrow decision win. Things could play out similarly here, as Ross has proven himself willing to match what his opponent brings to the table. With that said, Rodrigues’ athletic gifts should give him the initiative, and, more importantly, Ross may not have the durability to last 15 full minutes with someone this creatively explosive. The pick is Rodrigues via second-round knockout.
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Pedro vs. Bukauskas
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Rodrigues vs. Ross
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