Good on Ross for making it here. “The Turkish Delight” had more
than a decade’s experience as a pro heading into his bout on Dana
White’s Contender Series in August, when he lost to Vinicius
Salvador in what was likely the best fight of the season. Ross
put up a shockingly game effort against an opponent with every
athletic advantage before falling in the second round, enough so
that both men earned contracts. Now it is time for Ross to prove
himself on the UFC roster in his home country of Australia, and in
a bit of deja vu, he faces another highly athletic Brazilian.
Rodrigues was a bit of an unknown before competing on DWCS in 2021,
as he put in an impressively one-sided win against Santo
Curatolo and looked like one of the UFC’s best flyweight
prospects. However, things went much more poorly for Rodrigues in
his UFC debut opposite C.J. Vergara
in May. Vergara’s consistent aggression and ability to eat
Rodrigues’ offense seemed to throw the Brazilian off-guard,
allowing him to bring enough pace and volume to the table to eke
out a narrow decision win. Things could play out similarly here, as
Ross has proven himself willing to match what his opponent brings
to the table. With that said, Rodrigues’ athletic gifts should give
him the initiative, and, more importantly, Ross may not have the
durability to last 15 full minutes with someone this creatively
explosive. The pick is Rodrigues via second-round knockout.
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