Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez UFC Betting: Will favored Rodriguez make the most of his weight advantage?

UFC followers and bettors were gearing up to see Li Jingliang duke it out with Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 tomorrow at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

But thanks to main event favourite Khamzat Chimaev missing weight for his scheduled bout with Nate Diaz, with the Li vs. Ferguson the co-main event and Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez preceding those bouts.

Thanks to Chimaev’s weight miss, those top three bouts have been shuffled. Now, Diaz vs. Ferguson will be the main event, with Chimaev vs. Holland and Li vs. Rodriguez as the main support bouts.

In this bout, there will be a weight mismatch, with Rodriguez coming in at 179 pounds and Li at 170.5. And while the final two fights of the night will be five rounds, this will be a three-round fight.

Let’s take a look at the matchup and who you should back with your bets.

Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez Fight Information and Betting Odds

Fight Information

• Daniel Rodriguez is a 35-year-old American fighter from California with a professional MMA record detailing 16 wins against two defeats.
• Li Jingliang is a Chinese fighter with a professional MMA record detailing 19 wins against seven defeats, with five of his losses coming on the scorecards.
• Venue & Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Start Time: approximately 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time (8:15 p.m. local time)

Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez Betting Odds

Odds are via Bovada Sportsbook.

Moneyline

• Li Jingliang +135
• Daniel Rodriguez -160

Total Rounds Over/Under

• Over 2.5 (-150)
• Under 2.5 (+120)

Li hungry for success in Vegas

Li Jingliang is a Chinese professional MMA fighter with a record showing 19 wins against seven defeats, with ten wins coming by way of knockout, five by decision and the other four by submission.

The losses on his record are dominated by five on the scorecards, with the other two being submission defeats, proving he’s an all-action sort who is as talented a striker as he is a grappler.

Last five results for Li Jingliang

• Won by TKO
• Lost by submission
• Won by KO
• Lost on points
• Won by TKO

It wouldn’t be harsh to comment on Li’s lack of consistency. However, he is coming in on the back of a win after scoring a TKO last time out.

That emphatic result came against Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodriguez in Elmont, New York less than two months ago, and it’s impressive to see him return to the octagon so quickly.

He now has a solid win on which to relaunch his career, and with two performance of the night bonuses in his last three bouts, people are talking about Jingliang and his talents.

It may be a hastily re-arranged bout, but if he can upset the odds against the bigger Rodriguez and put back-to-back wins together, it will be a real confidence-builder for Li.

The time is now for Rodriguez

Instead of being at a similar weight to his opponent, as he would have been against Holland, Rodriguez is almost ten pounds heavier than Li Jingliang.

Will he make the most of that advantage and back up his status as the favourite in this fight?

If he wins this fight, it will only enhance his profile in the UFC, which will set him up for bigger bouts going forward.

Last five results for Daniel Rodriguez

• Won on points
• Won by TKO
• Won on points
• Lost on points
• Won by KO

Rodriguez hasn’t been as convincing or consistent as he would have liked over the last few years, but he seems to have gotten to grips with his form.

He goes into his matchup with Li Jingliang seeking a fourth win on the bounce after defeating Kevin Lee by decision at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze in his most recent fight.

That fight at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas was over 13 months ago, however. As a result, you do have to wonder if he will be able to shake off the rust against a fighter with a recent fight on his record.

One of only two defeats on his card was inflicted by Nicolas Dalby at UFC 255 in Vegas approaching two years ago. That was a bout he was expected to win, but he came up short on the scorecards.

Since suffering that minor setback, Daniel has fought three and won three with a pair of points decisions included in that run.

Is this about to be win number four for Daniel? The bookies think so, but he certainly isn’t a heavy favourite.

With two of his last three wins coming on points, and most of Li’s losses coming by that method, we are looking for the judges to have the final word in this matchup.

And though Rodriguez has some rust to shake off, he will back up his status as the favourite and edge out Li on points to pick up his fourth straight win.

Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez Prediction: Daniel Rodriguez to win

Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez Betting Picks: Daniel Rodriguez to win (-160) & over 2.5 total rounds (-150) – both at Bovada Sportsboo