UFC Fight Night 228: Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez 09/23/2023 Fight Odds, Picks and Preview

UFC Fight Night 228: Rodriguez vs Waterson-Gomez 09/23/2023 – Women’s strawweight fighters take centerstage as Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson-Gomez clash in a three-round women’s strawweight showdown on Saturday, September 23, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The clash is part of the UFC Fight Night 228 main card that will start at 7:00 PM ET. UFC Fight Pass covers the match proceedings via livestream while ESPN+ features the event on television.

The fight is a rematch of the May 8, 2021, encounter that the Brazilian won via unanimous decision. Rodriguez steps into the octagon looking to get back on track following two consecutive defeats. On the other hand, Waterson-Gomez aims to stop her two-year slump wherein she has lost five of six matches, including one against Rodriguez in May 2021. Online UFC betting odds are already available for fans who want to earn more money while watching an exciting bout between two of the most exciting fighters in the 115-pound division.

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Main Card

Marina Rodriguez

Rodriguez (16-3-2, 6-3-2 UFC) will fight for the 12th time inside the octagon looking for a big victory that will break her two-fight losing skid. The Brazilian has strung up defeats to Amanda Lemos and Virna Jandiroba in her last two fights and a win in her rematch with Waterson-Gomez would put her back on track. In her last bout against Jandiroba, Rodriguez was dominated on the mat, as she surrendered three takedowns during the fight. Those takedowns were a big factor in the judges’ eyes despite the fact that the Brazilian was leading on significant strikes landed. The 5-foot-6 fighter has a three-inch height and reach advantage that she can use in striking Waterson-Gomez at long range.

Rodriguez, who is ranked No8 in the women’s strawweight category, has recorded seven finishes in 21 bouts with six coming by knockout and one by submission. Her average fight time is 14 minutes and 34 seconds which meant that she is capable of lasting the full route. In terms of striking, she has averaged 4.58 significant strikes landed per minute and has a striking accuracy of 47%. Rodriguez has defended 56% of the opponents’ attempted strikes and has absorbed 2.94 significant strikes per minute. Grappling wise, Rodriguez has averaged 0.17 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 33% accuracy rate. She has defended 64% of the takedown attempts launched against her and has normed 0.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Michelle Waterson-Gomez

Waterson-Gomez (18-11, 6-7 UFC) has fought the likes of former champions Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza and made her presence felt despite losing those matches. However, she is in a point of her career that she has been outclassed by her opponents and a victory would be big for her UFC career. As of the moment, Waterson-Gomez has lost five of her last six bouts, including one against Rodriguez in May 2021. She is hoping that the rematch would give her an opportunity to move up the women’s strawweight rankings and bounce back from those stunning setbacks in the past. The “Karate Hottie” comes into the fight three inches shorter in reach and height but she hopes to negate it by using her aggressiveness to stifle Rodriguez’s attacks and connect telling blows to her opponent.

Waterson-Gomez has recorded 12 finishes in 29 MMA fights, with three coming by knockout and nine submissions. Her average fight time is 14 minutes and 18 seconds and she is expected to last the full route against Rodriguez in their rematch. She has landed an average of 3.63 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy rate of 46%. She has defended 51% of the strikes that her opponents attempted and absorbed 4.01 significant strikes per minute. Waterson-Gomez has the edge in grappling against Rodriguez as she has averaged 1.40 takedowns per 15 minutes at a takedown accuracy rate of 33%. She has been able to stop 72% of the takedown attempts that her foes attempted in previous fights and has a better submission attempt rate of 0.7 per 15 minutes.