This weekend’s installment of UFC comes from the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, as Fight Night 194 features a women’s strawweight tilt between Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez. Several fights that were set as the co-main event had to be scrapped due to injury, so now Randy Brown will face Jared Gooden in a welterweight fight as the co-headliner. We have the full fight card for you to peruse, and we have also made some UFC betting predictions about the climactic fights of the night.
UFC Fight Night 194: Dern vs Rodriguez Preview
Main Card (ESPN+)
Mackenzie Dern vs Marina Rodriguez (Women’s Strawweight)
Randy Brown vs Jared Gooden (Welterweight)
Tim Elliott vs Matheus Nicolau (FLyweight)
Sabina Mazo vs Mariya Agapova (Women’s Flyweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Chris Gutierrez vs Felipe Colares (Bantamweight)
Alexander Romanov vs Jared Vanderaa (Heavyweight)
Charles Rosa vs Damon Jackson (Featherweight)
Lupita Godinez vs Silvana Gomez Juarez (Women’s Strawweight)
Steve Garcia vs Charlie Ontiveros (Lightweight)
Mackenzie Dern vs Marina Rodriguez will produce the next contender for the UFC Women’s Strawweight title. Dern is ranked fourth in the division and has a four-fight winning streak that includes three tilts that have brought her bonuses for “Performance of the Night.” Rodriguez is ranked sixth after two immense wins: a TKO of Amanda Ribas and a unanimous win on the cards over Michelle Waterson, one of the elite strawweight fighters.
Dern’s only loss came against Ribas — whom Rodriguez beat earlier this year. The women’s strawweight division in UFC is the most exciting in women’s martial arts right now, as there is a group of terrific fighters who will keep upending one another. Weili Zhang, Jessica Andrade, Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk have dominated this division in recent years, but new talent keeps coming in. When Rodriguez beat Ribas, Ribas came in with a 10-1 pro record and looked to make a statement about her status as a contender. Rodriguez turned the tables and delivered the TKO in the second round. Rodriguez earned a main event as a result, but it came on short notice, and Rodriguez used an avalanche of strikes to take down Waterson.
Dern is 6-1 as a UFC fighter and has an elite grappling record. Her last fight came via submission over Nina Nunes, and Dern may be the best submission grappler in this division. She will be looking for a way to get this fight to the ground, as the longer the fighters stay upright, the more punishment Dern will have to eat. Rodriguez will keep circling away, using jabs, knees and power leg kicks to keep her away, while Dern will want to get things on the ground and deliver ground-and-pound strikes. Rodriguez’s only loss came against Carla Esparza, who is another terrific wrestler. Esparza won on the cards via a split decision because of what she did on the mat.
Final Prediction: Dern wins via decision | Bet the Fight Now
Randy Brown vs Jared Gooden provides a look at two welterweights who have not yet gotten the notice that they deserve. Brown has won three of his last four, all via finish. He delivered a TKO over Bryan Barberena and submission wins against Warlley Alves and Alex Oliveira. In his career, 11 of his 13 victories have come either via submission or KO/TKO. His only percent loss came against Vicente Fuque, probably the second best UFC welterweight fighter.
Gooden brings a lto of promise of his own. He has 14 wins via stoppage and only took a little over a minute to stop Niklas Stolze his last time out. Brown is more skilled than any of the fighters that Gooden has faced to this point, though, so expect a couple of close rounds before both fighters take more risks in the third (this will be a three-round fight) — and Brown takes advantage.
Final Prediction: Brown wins via submission | Bet the Fight Now
UFC Betting Odds
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