LAS VEGAS — Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez is officially on, as each fighter successfully made weight on Friday.
Holloway (22-6), of Hawaii, tipped the scales at 146 pounds. Rodriguez, who fights out of Chihuahua, Mexico, came in at 145.5 pounds. The featherweight bout will headline UFC Fight Night inside the Apex. The event airs on ESPN+.
Holloway is a former 145-pound champion and is No. 10 in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Defeating him would elevate Rodriguez into the title picture.
The matchup was originally scheduled for July, but Holloway was forced to withdraw because of injury. Rather than seek another fight, Rodriguez waited for the fight to be rescheduled.
This calendar year will mark the first time since 2015 in which Holloway, 29, will not compete in a UFC title fight. He could still have a big year, however, with a win Saturday. He opened 2021 with a spectacular performance against Calvin Kattar that saw him land a UFC record 445 significant strikes.
Rodriguez has not fought since October 2019. He is riding a two-fight win streak.