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#3 UFC Light Heavyweight Division: Marcin Prachnio vs. Mike Rodriguez

Mike Rodriguez has one UFC win under his belt, a knockout of Adam Milstead

Quite how this fight has made the main card of a UFC event in 2020 is anyone’s guess. Firstly, the two have a combined UFC record of 1-5, with the lone win coming from Rodriguez on the UFC's last show on Fox. And to make matters stranger, Prachnio hasn’t actually fought since September 2018.

However, what both men do have in spades is finishing ability. Prachnio has 13 wins with just two of them going the distance, while none of Rodriguez’s 10 wins have gone to decision. That means that this fight is likely to be kill-or-be-killed with a low chance of it going three rounds.

In all honesty, this one is probably a coin flip. Of the two, it appears that Prachnio has the more technical striking. Coming from a traditional martial arts background, the Polish fighter throws a solid array of punches and kicks, and is adept at head kicks in particular.

Where he clearly doesn’t excel, judging by his footage, is in defense. He’s been knocked out twice in the UFC and even in his highlight reels, it’s clear that he’s just not that versed in sitting behind a jab or keeping his chin really tucked.

That could provide him with some issues against Rodriguez, who appears to be more of an MMA-based striker with a Muay Thai and boxing background. ‘Slow Mike’ used that striking to absolutely fold Adam Milstead in his only UFC win. His ticket to the UFC, meanwhile, was punched with a beautiful flying knee KO of Jamelle Jones.

Of his three losses meanwhile, two followed a similar pattern. Both John Allan and Devin Clark used their grappling to grind him down, and even then, Rodriguez had some strong moments against Allan (who later tested positive for PEDs). And while Da Un Jung knocked him out, there’s not a lot of shame in that. The Korean is one of the best prospects in the world at 205lbs right now.

In all honesty, either man could win this one as they’re both great finishers and hit hard, but I’m leaning more towards Rodriguez. He appears to be the better athlete, has more of an idea of defense, and has at least been active recently. I’m taking ‘Slow Mike’ via KO.

The Pick: Rodriguez via first-round KO