Austin Bashi and Christian Rodriguez meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 249 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez UFC Fight Night 249 preview
Bashi (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) brings an undefeated record into his UFC debut. The 23-year-old featherweight impressed on Dana White’s Contender Series in September with a submission win over Dorian Ramos to earn a UFC contract. … Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has the same total number of professional bouts as Bashi, yet nearly half have come under the UFC’s banner. Rodriguez saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end in a loss against Julian Erosa in July and will look to get back on track.
Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez UFC Fight Night 249 expert pick, prediction
Filling out the main card is a potential bantamweight banger between Bashi and Rodriguez.
Despite upsetting the proverbial applecart with victories over names like Raul Rosas Jr. and Isaac Dulgarian, the UFC is feeding yet another prospect to the deceptively skilled Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is a composed fighter who is more than capable of surviving an early storm, but Bashi, who was one of my prospects to watch in 2024, appears to have the motor to go a hard fifteen minutes.
A Bashi loss wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world given both his greenness and Rodriguez’s skills, but I suspect that he can press his advantages for three frames without getting sidetracked.
The pick is Bashi by unanimous decision.
Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez UFC Fight Night 249 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the newcomer, listing Bashi -260 and Rodriguez +215 via FanDuel.
Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez UFC Fight Night 249 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Bashi and Rodriguez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:40 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.
