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The UFC Mexico City Essential Card is starting to heat up as we bring you a betting prediction and pick for this next bout within the Flyweight (125) Division. Mexico’s own Imanol Rodriguez will do battle against Peru’s Kevin Borjas in what ought to be an exciting scrap. Check our UFC odds series for the Rodriguez-Borjas prediction and pick.
Imanol Rodriguez (6-0) will make his UFC debut following a contract win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He makes his debut in front of a house country crowd trying to impress with one other viral knockout because the heavy betting favorite. Rodriguez stands 5-foot-4 with a 64.5-inch reach.
Kevin Borjas (10-4) has gone 1-3 since joining the UFC roster in 2023 as a Contender Series product himself. He beat Ronaldo Rodriguez to notch his first UFC win, but hopes to bounce back following a recent loss to Sumudaerji his last day trip. Borjas stands 5-foot-5. with a 68-inch reach.
UFC Mexico City Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Mexico City Odds: Imanol Rodriguez-Kevin Borjas Odds
Imanol Rodriguez: -455
Kevin Borjas: +350
Over 1.5 rounds: -145
Under 1.5 rounds: +114
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Why Imanol Rodriguez Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Roque Conceicao – TKO (uppercut, R1)
- Last 5: 5-0
- Finishes: 5 KO/TKO, 1 SUB
Imanol Rodriguez will make his highly-anticipated UFC debut on Saturday in front of his home Mexican crowd, hoping to copy one other exciting knockout from his DWCS fight. Rodriguez could be very polished out the gate and whatever he lacks in skilled MMA experience might be made up for by his athleticism and willingness to evolve as a fighter. The jolt he’ll feel from the house crowd should give him added motivation, but he’ll should remain composed during any debuting jitters.
Seen as little bit of a chaotic striker, Rodriguez is tremendously explosive within the pocket when he opens up his combos. He lets his hands fly is rapid succession, more confident that his chin will delay and he’ll have the ability to knock his opponent out first. During this fight, expect the identical wild style out of him as he opens with a measured approach and let’s things loose once the exchanges begin.
Rodriguez has also greatly grown in his grappling and will see a bonus if he’s capable of force Brojas to the bottom during this one. His athleticism and physical strength will likely be an obvious advantage and we must always expect him to use that aspect of Borjas’ game early. Do not be surprised if Rodriguez is capable of end this fight very early.
Why Kevin Borjas Will Win
- Last Fight: (L) Sumudaerji – U DEC
- Last 5: 2-3
- Finishes: 8 KO/TKO
Kevin Borjas hasn’t been completely capable of find his footing since entering the UFC, putting up decent performances but coming up short on the judges’ scorecards. He displayed great flashes of assorted striking in his win over Ronaldo Rodriguez, however the energetic striking of Sumudaerji proved an excessive amount of as Borjas couldn’t discover a rhythm during his last fight. Proper preparation during this camp will likely be paramount to his success if he wants to drag out an unlikely win because the underdog.
Borjas could be very energetic and jumpy in his stance, oftentimes making him a tricky opponent to hit cleanly contained in the pocket. With Rodriguez fighting behind an aggressive, explosive style, remaining in perpetual movement will likely be extremely vital for Borjas as he looks to frustrate his opponent.
Despite the underdog odds, Borjas has proven very effective in limiting damage done on him and has a really solid chin. If he’s able to face up to the early storm from Rodriguez, remain consistent throughout the second round, we could see Borjas turning up the pace by the third if he’s still competitive as much as that time.
Final Imanol Rodriguez-Kevin Borjas Prediction & Pick
This fight ought to be one other exciting scrap and fans will likely be most excited for the debut of Imanol Rodriguez as the house country representative. At 6-0 and just 26 years old, Rodriguez has all of the tools of becoming a serious contender within the Flyweight Division and the UFC expects his journey to start on Saturday.
Kevin Borjas, alternatively, effectively has his back against the wall with a 1-3 begin to his tenure, so putting away a brilliant prospect would do wonders for not only his resume, but his confidence as well. Borjas can provide himself a likelihood during this fight if he’s capable of remain composed through the primary round and extend his opponent past the halfway point of this fight.
Still, there’s an excessive amount of momentum behind a cultured prospect here and we expect Imanol Rodriguez to rise to the occasion during this debut. Let’s roll with him to win the fight in the primary round as he puts an exclamation mark on this one.
Final Imanol Rodriguez-Kevin Borjas Prediction & Pick: Imanol Rodriguez (-455); UNDER 1.5 Rounds (+114)