Preview: UFC on ESPN 59 ‘Namajunas vs. Cortez’

Featherweights

Christian Rodriguez (11-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Julian Erosa (29-11, 7-7 UFC)

ODDS: Rodriguez (-205), Erosa (+170)

Rodriguez had some steam as a prospect, but it was unclear how he would fare in a major promotion after a disappointing showing on the Contender Series in 2021. Rodriguez scored the win but wasn’t offered a contract, as he missed the bantamweight limit and put on a flat performance. “CeeRod” did eventually get the UFC call for an unsuccessful late-notice debut up at featherweight in 2022, and despite rebounding with a win over Joshua Weems to cap off the year, there were questions as to how his jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none approach would stay above water against better competition. A breakout 2023 answered those questions positively, as Rodriguez went on prospect killing duty by outworking and outlasting Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman. However, those victories did come with a catch: Both were contracted 135-pound bouts that saw Rodriguez miss the bantamweight limit once again. That necessitated a full-time move up to featherweight, which in turn brought concerns that Rodriguez—who leaned on a strength advantage to outwrestle Rosas and Saaiman—wouldn’t be as suited to survive against stronger competition. So far, so good. Isaac Dulgarian ragdolled him for about a round and a half before exhausting himself, once again allowing Rodriguez an opening to stage a late comeback and walk away with a decision win. Things might be a bit trickier against Erosa, who has found a successful niche as a veteran gatekeeper. It took three runs with the UFC before Erosa finally stuck in the big time, as he spent about a half decade bouncing between the promotion and the regional scene. Armed with an aggressive approach, Erosa was just defensively slick enough to stay out of trouble and overwhelm regional-level competition but slow enough that he mostly just walked into knockouts against UFC-level athletes. Erosa still gets sparked from time to time, but with well over a decade of fighting experience under his belt, “Juicy J” has enough defensive vision that he’s much better at avoiding an early knockout, allowing him to feel things out and eventually gain enough momentum to drag opponents through hell and eventually find their breaking point. Rodriguez is unlikely to break, but this does seem like an assignment where his issues finally come home to roost. He might not be a natural 145-pounder, doesn’t seem like much of a threat to catch Erosa cold and may have found the opponent he finally can’t outlast. The pick is Erosa via decision.

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Namajunas vs. Cortez
Ponzinibbio vs. Salikhov
Dober vs. Silva
Bonfim vs. Loosa
Rodriguez vs. Erosa
Alhassan vs. Brundage
The Prelims