5 names to watch at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez

Coming off two massive PPV events, the UFC were always going to have a hard time reverting back to their fight night cards. However, an event featuring former UFC featherweight champion Max 'Blessed' Holloway is about as good as it gets.

Holloway will take on fan favorite takekwondo practitioner Yair 'Pantera' Rodriguez in a number one contender bout for the 145lb division. This electric featherweight scrap headlines a card full of hidden gems that may well be flying under the radar for fans of the UFC.

A number of rising prospects litter the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez and in the following list we breakdown five names that fans of MMA would do well to keep an eye on.

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#5. Sean 'The Sniper' Woodson - UFC featherweight

Sean Woodson made his way into the UFC by knocking out top prospect Terrance McKinney on Dana White's Contender Series in 2019. He quickly followed it up with a dominant victory over Kyle Bochniak in the same year.

Woodson did come up short against Julian Erosa in 2020, but a split decision win over yet another upcoming prospect in Youssef Zalal put Woodson back on track. He now takes on Colin Anglin at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez.

Anglin is a competent wrestler and will likely spend much of the fight pursuing takedowns. However, Woodson has previously shown off an impressive ability to stay on his feet, having confounded 15 of Zalal's 17 takedowns attempts.

He also lives up to the moniker of 'The Sniper,' with lethal striking that utilizes his 6'2 frame to full effect. This is Woodson's chance to put together his first winning streak inside the UFC, and he has all the tools to do it in emphatic fashion.

#4. Cynthia Calvillo - UFC women's flyweight

It appears that fans of the UFC are forgetting that prior to her recent loss against Jessica Andrade, Cynthia Calvillo was arguably one win away from a title shot. She ultimately came up short against Andrade but is still very much an elite athlete in the women's 125lb division.

Having spent most of her career at strawweight, Calvillo made the move up the flyweight in 2020. She has since gone 1-2 in the division, but has only faced the very best.

An impressive divisional debut victory against Jessica Eye demonstrated Calvillo's high-level skillset, and whilst she failed to overcome Katlyn Chookagian and the aforementioned Andrade, she still gave a good account of herself in both fights.

At UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez, Calvillo takes on Andrea Lee, who recently submitted Antonina Shevchenko. Lee is a good competitor, although arguably a step down in completion from the likes of Chookagian and Andrade.

If Calvillo wishes to truly make a run at the 125lb title, it must start here with a dominant victory over Andrea Lee.

#3. Marc 'Bonecrusher' Diakiese - UFC lightweight

Having made his UFC debut in 2016, Marc Diakiese has a number of high profile names in the UFC's lightweight division to varying levels of success. He is currently 5-4 within the UFC, although his losses have come against Dan Hooker, Rafael Fiziev, Nasrat Haqparast and Drakkar Klose.

This might indicate that Diakiese is not quite top-15 caliber, but considering the depth of talent within the UFC's lightweight division, this is the case for the majority of the 155lb fighters.

However, impressive victories over Lando Vannata, Joe Duffy and Teemu Packalen indicate that unless his opponent is truly amongst the elite of the division, they will have a hard time against the 'Bonecrusher.'

This weekend he takes on former featherweight Rafael Alves who is coming off a competitive loss against Damir Ismagulov. Diakiese is rightly the favorite going into this fight and the matchup should present him with the chance to show off his full range of skills to full effect.

#2. Joel 'El Fenomeno' Alvarez - UFC lightweight

Joel Alvarez has been quietly putting together a solid winning streak within the UFC's lightweight division over the past two years. Three consecutive wins, all through stoppage, have 'El Fenomeno' touted as a future contender in the 155lb division.

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Submissions over Joe Duffy and Alexander Yakolev are all an indication as to how high-level his BJJ is. Along with a ground-and-pound KO over Danillo Belluardo demonstrated that there is more to his game than submission hunting.

At UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez, Joel Alvarez will face his toughest test to date. He takes on Thiago Moises, who has been on the fringes of the top-15 at 155lbs for some time now.

This fight will demonstrate whether Alvarez is ready to start facing the best in the world at lightweight, or needs to continue developing his skillset for a few more years.

#1. Miguel 'Caramel Thunder' Baeza - UFC welterweight

Arguably the biggest prospect on the card is Miguel Baeza. 'Caramel Thunder' is four fights into his UFC career, having already picked up victories over Matt Brown, Takashi Sato and Hector Aldana.

Baeza's last fight in the UFC ended in his first pro loss. However, competing against the highly rated Santiago Ponzinibbio, Baeza gave an incredibly good account of himself.

At UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez, Baeza takes on Khaos Williams in an intriguing welterweight bout. Williams brings massive power, and surprising speed, to the table in this bout. However, Baeza certainly has the skills to neatraizle 'The Oxfighter.' Whether he is able to or not will likely be very telling for the future of 'Caramel Thunder.'