MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the co-main event for UFC 284.
UFC 284 takes place Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Yair Rodriguez (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’11” Age: 30 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 71″
- Last fight: TKO win over Brian Ortega (July 16, 2022)
- Camp: VFS Academy (Chicago/Mexico)
- Stance/striking style: Swith-stance/kickboxing
- Risk management: Fair
Supplemental info:
+ “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” winner
+ Taekwondo black belt
+ 6 KO victories
+ 3 submission wins
+ 5 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Athletic and explosive mover
+ Dynamic kicking attacks
^ Variates stance and style
+ Shows improvements in boxing range
^ Fundamentals to fancy counters
+ Serviceable wrestling and scrambling
+ Active and attacking guard
^ Excellent leg dexterity
Josh Emmett (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’6″ Age: 37 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 70″
- Last fight: Decision win over Calvin Kattar (June 18, 2022)
- Camp: Team Alpha Male (California)
- Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ NAIA collegiate wrestler (Menlo College)
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ 6 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ KO power
^ 11 knockdowns in last 8 appearances
+ Athletic and explosive mover
+ Heavy crosses and hooks
^ Coming forward and off the counter
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Good takedown ability
+ Solid transitional grappler
^ Scrambles well/positionally aware
Point of interest: Chaos crew
The co-main event features an interim title fight between two featherweights who are familiar with chaos.
A dynamic, storm-riding striker, Yair Rodriguez has unabashedly translated his taekwondo skills and sensibilities at a high level.
From front kicks to aerial assaults, Rodriguez can execute high-wire offense at the drop of a dime. And though this style of fighting can require a fair share of space, the 30-year-old talent has done a better job of incorporating more punches into his repertoire.
Up until his fight with “The Korean Zombie,” you could’ve accused Rodriguez of being a one-sided fighter, primarily relying on his right side to attack. However, as we’ve seen in recent years, Rodriguez has made use of his lengthy stints between fights, demonstrating much better boxing fundamentals than before.
Whether he was throwing counter crosses from southpaw or hitting check hooks out of his orthodox stance, Rodriguez has become much more adept when it comes to using his left hand and seeing counters in the pocket. That said, the original “TUF: Latin America” winner still shows some defensive liabilities when it comes to both pressure and bodywork.
Enter Josh Emmett.
An athletic and explosive mover, Emmett displays similar stylistic nods to his Team Alpha Male stablemates to go along with an eye for technical detail.
Often circling along the outside, Emmett will offer an array of looks in an effort to create alternate angles of approach. Whether he is feinting heavily and shuffle-stepping his way into range with a right hand, or shifting to southpaw to enter off of kicks, Emmett has power in almost everything he throws.
The 12-year pro also carries craft to his game, demonstrating slick head movement and an awareness of angles that speaks louder than one would expect from his resume.
A deceptive counterpuncher, Emmett does his best work when walking his opponents into his favored heavy right hand. That said, I’ll be curious to see if Emmett looks to adjust his approach and cage positioning by pressuring more.
Not only will Rodriguez’s own cage positioning accommodate pressure, but pushing forward will also open up more favorable takedown opportunities for the American.
Point of interest: Potential grappling threats
Even though Emmett is a superior wrestler on paper, no one should be shocked if Rodiguez elects to get offensive with takedowns of his own.
Coming onto the UFC scene with a natural gusto, Rodriguez has continued to dive confidently into the grappling realms, often initiating level-changing shots of his own.
Despite keeping a solid focus on wrestling, Rodriguez experimented with grappling entanglements early and often in his career, finding success through athletic creativity fueled by his already impressive leg dexterity.
That said, Rodriguez’s sometimes wild ways (especially when opting to fight from the bottom or go for leglocks) have put him in precarious positions before. In fact, since suffering a crushing defeat to Frankie Edgar back at UFC 211, the Mexican standout still continues to do things like shoot late-round takedowns or sacrifice position with Iminari rolls – all tactics that could cost him if he’s not careful.
A former NAIA collegiate wrestler, Emmett will have the edge when it comes to takedowns and positional play. Whether he is in the open or against the fence, Emmett has shown a serviceable array of options he can exercise (though most of his completions come against the cage).
Emmett also knows his way inside of a scramble, displaying passing and striking competency from topside in past performances.
From the bottom, Emmett is not afraid to attack what’s there – chaining chokes, leg locks and other submissions that he parlays into opportunities to scramble and stand. In fact, both men do fairly well with getting back to their feet, making me think that ground exchanges may be short and sweet.
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public are siding with the younger fighter, listing Rodriguez -165 and Emmett +140 via Tipico Sportsbook.
Although I don’t necessarily disagree with Rodriguez being favored, this feels like a pick’em fight with high volatility attached. For that reason, I warn anyone who is completely discounting the chances of Emmett.
Not only does Emmett have obvious fight-changing power, but the Menlo College rep has also improved his technical acumen and variety in the boxing realm – especially off of his left hand. In fact, I would not be shocked to see Emmett lean on his shifting southpaw combos considering Rodriguez’s propensity to back peddle away from blitzes with deliberately low hands.
We saw Emmett utilize the southpaw stance to successfully create lanes for crosses and combinations when he fought superior boxing technicians Shane Burgos and Calvin Kattar. However, both Burgos and Kattar (as well as Felipe Arrantes) were able to successfully land spinning attacks on Emmett, which could bode badly for him this weekend.
I also couldn’t help but notice the kicking success that past Emmett opponents have had, particularly when going to the legs or body.
Despite Emmett being more than capable of taxing Rodriguez’s defenses, I can’t help but see the Mexican fighter recreating the success he had when going to the body of Jeremy Stephens. I hate picking against a fighter like Emmett, I’m just not confident he can switch things up enough and aggressively wrestle Rodriguez without tiring himself out (as the American hasn’t meaningfully pursued takedowns since his war with Scott Holtzman).
A finish, either way, shouldn’t surprise anyone, but I’ll take the more durable Rodriguez to spark off a stoppage from a liver kick come the second round.
