Marina Rodriguez is favored against Carla Esparza at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till on Sunday, July 26 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates but because of the time difference, it will start on Saturday, July 25 Eastern Time. This event is one of seven fights on the main card on ESPN/ESPN+. Esparza is 16-6 in her career, while Rodriguez is 12-0-2 in her career. There are a total of seven fights on the main card on UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till, with the headliner a bout between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till. There are also a total of eight fights on the preliminary card on ESPN/ESPN+. Let’s look at the bout between Esparza and Rodriguez and UFC predictions.
Bet on UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till
Carla Esparza (16-6, 7-4 UFC)
Esparza came into the UFC with a record of 9-2 and she has seven wins and four losses in the UFC. In her last five fights, she has three wins and two losses. She defeated Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision, Alexa Grasso by majority decision, and Michelle Waterson by split decision; while losing to Cláudia Gadelha by split decision and Tatiana Suarez by TKO. Esparza has been a pro since 2010 and she has three wins by TKO/KO and four by submission. She has three first round finishes.
Carla Rodriguez (12-0-2, 2-0-2 UFC)
Rodriguez came into the UFC with a record of 10-0 and she has two wins, no losses, and two draws in the UFC. She defeated Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision and Tecia Torres by unanimous decision; while fighting to a draw against Randa Markos and Cynthia Calvillo. Rodriguez has been a pro since 2015 and she has five wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. She has four first round finishes.
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Esparza 2.30/ Rodriguez 5.60
Striking Accuracy: Esparza 41% / Rodriguez 50%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Esparza 2.87/ Rodriguez 3.57
Defense: Esparza 53% / Rodriguez 53%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Esparza 3.28/ Rodriguez 0.48
Takedown Accuracy: Esparza 33% / Rodriguez 33%
Takedowns defended: Esparza 48% / Rodriguez 70%
Submission average: Esparza 0.3/ Rodriguez 0.2
UFC Picks
These two are finally going to fight after having their bout pushed back because of the virus. Rodriguez is unbeaten, but Esparza is no slouch, with seven UFC wins. I have been impressed with what I have seen so far from Rodriguez and I think she is a notch above Esparza. I will take Rodriguez to get this win and I also think the fight goes to a decision, so I will also play the rounds to go over the total.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till Card & Odds
Middleweight - Darren Till -108 vs. Robert Whittaker -123
Women's Bantamweight - Bethe Correia +118 vs. Pannie Kianzad -151
Heavyweight - Fabricio Werdum +263 vs. Alexander Gustafsson -354
Light Heavyweight - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira +149 vs. Mauricio Rua -190
Featherweight - Mike Grundy +158 vs. Movsar Evloev -200
Welterweight - Peter Sobotta +138 vs. Alex Oliveira -174
Heavyweight - Jake Collier +161 vs. Tom Aspinall -205
Welterweight - Jesse Ronson +214 vs. Nicolas Dalby -280
Light Heavyweight - Paul Craig -129 vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov -103
Women's Strawweight - Carla Esparza +145 vs. Marina Rodriguez -183
Lightweight - Jai Herbert +131 vs. Francisco Trinaldo -165
Welterweight - Niklas Stolze +289 vs. Ramazan Emeev -395
Heavyweight - Raphael Pessoa +195 vs. Tanner Boser -252
Bantamweight - John Castaneda +368 vs. Nathaniel Wood -533
Welterweight - Rhys McKee +669 vs. Khamzat Chimaev -1231
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