Preview: UFC Fight Night 201 Prelims

Featherweights

NR | Jonathan Pearce (11-4, 2-1 UFC) vs. NR | Christian Rodriguez (7-0, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Pearce (-360), Rodriguez (+285)

Pearce has rebounded quite well from a terrible UFC debut back in 2019. “JSP” stepped in for a fight against Joe Lauzon in Boston at a time when “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semifinalist looked clearly past his prime, but the longtime vet still managed to overwhelm Pearce and finish him in just 93 seconds. It would be over a year until Pearce returned, this time down at featherweight, and he has since put together two impressive wins. Pearce’s style is not the prettiest, as he often either just wings punches or crashes into his opponents, but he is a large featherweight and has shown the ability to keep eating offense and winning scrambles until he can find a finish, scoring upsets over Kai Kamaka III and Omar Morales. Pearce looks to continue his momentum against a late-notice replacement and UFC newcomer in Rodriguez. A competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series in October, Rodriguez immediately sank any hopes of earning a contract by missing the bantamweight weight limit on the scale. Despite that misstep, Rodriguez still put in a strong performance, flashing some powerful and effective striking; and it does look like he will go forward as a full-time featherweight. Still, “CeeRod” remains a raw talent who has yet to be consistently tested, and since he is moving up from bantamweight, he looks exactly like the type of fighter Pearce can overwhelm with pressure. Rodriguez has the puncher’s chance that has proven successful for late-notice replacements in recent years, but the pick is Pearce via second-round submission.

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