UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez Card & Odds

MMA fans from around the country will fill the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Saturday, July 16 for UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodríguez. It’s expected to be an exciting night packed with an absolutely loaded card that you won’t want to miss.

Ortega vs. Rodriguez to Headline UFC on ABC 3

Though there are several bouts worth looking forward to, many eyes will be on the featherweight main event between former Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez. Both men sit inside of their division’s top-three rankings, meaning a victory could potentially bring them a title shot in the near future.

Between the main event and the rest of the card, there’s a lot to take in ahead of UFC on ABC 3. Fortunately, this article has everything you need to know from background information on the fighters to the latest betting odds for each of Saturday’s matchups.

UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez Event Details

When is UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez?

UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez will take place on Saturday, July 16, 2022.

Where is UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez?

UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez will take place at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

What time does UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez start?

• UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez Prelims Start Time: 11 a.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez’s Main Card: 2 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez?

The preliminary card can either be watched on ESPN or ESPN+. When it comes to the main card, that can be seen on ESPN+ and ABC.

UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez Main Card and Odds (Odds as of Friday, July 15)

The UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez odds listed below are via BetOnline Sportsbook.

UFC on ABC 3: Brian Ortega (-186) vs. Jair Rodriguez (+144)

As mentioned before, the majority of UFC fans are looking forward to seeing Ortega (15-2) and Rodriguez (13-3) squaring off in the octagon this weekend.

Ortega enters Saturday’s fight after challenging Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 266 in September 2021. Unfortunately, things didn’t go his way as he lost via unanimous decision, marking his second failure at capturing the gold in his last three fights — the only two losses of his career.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez also enters this fight fresh off a unanimous decision loss to Max Holloway back in November. It was the 29-year-old’s second time losing in his last five fights and the first decision defeat of his career. He had gone 10-1 with a no-contest in his previous 12 fights before that, leaving time to tell if he can get back on top of the mountain.

UFC on ABC 3 Co-Main Event: Michelle Waterson (+260) vs. Amanda Lemos (-360)

The UFC on ABC 3 co-main event will feature a women’s strawweight collision between Michelle Waterson (18-9) and Amanda Lemos (11-2-1).

A former Invicta FC Atomweight champion, Waterson hasn’t been able to find much success lately. She’s 1-3 in her last four fights, losing each of those bouts by decision. Her last fight was actually her flyweight debut, so it’ll be interesting to see how she fares as a strawweight again.

On the other hand, Lemos was on a roll, winning five consecutive fights before Jessica Andrade forced her to submit at a UFC Fight Night event in April. Considering how Lemos was taking the UFC by storm before her loss, she has a great opportunity to re-start her streak against Waterson.

Featherweight: Li Jingliang (+144) vs. Muslim Salikhov (-186)

Li Jingliang (18-7) will engage with Muslim Salikhov (18-2) in some welterweight festivities in Elmont this weekend.

Li had an impressive start to his UFC career, going 9-3 in his first 12 fights. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found that level of success since then, losing two of his last three fights — including his last one to Khamzat Chimaev via first-round technical submission.

Life has gone the opposite way for Salikhov lately. The former Sanda world champion has rattled off five straight victories and is showing no signs of slowing down. He's still looking to crack the division’s top-15 rankings and a win over Li could help with that.

Flyweight: Matt Schnell (+220) vs. Su Mudaerji (-295)

Another interesting matchup on the UFC on ABC 3 main card is a showdown between Matt Schnell (15-6) and Su Mudaerji (16-4).

Schnell hasn’t had much luck at finding recent success. He’s recorded a loss in two of his last four fights and there’d be a third had a unanimous loss to Rogério Bontorin not been ruled a no-contest after Bontorin tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide.

Mudaerji has been finding success at the start of his UFC tenure. After losing his promotional debut, “The Tibetan Eagle” has won three straight fights, defeating Zarrukh Adashev by unanimous decision in his last outing.

Featherweight: Shane Burgos (-186) vs. Charles Jourdain (+144)

Another main card featherweight bout pits Shane Burgos (14-3) head-to-head against Charles Jourdain (13-4-1).

After losing back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, Burgos rebounded nicely with a unanimous decision over Billy Quarantillo at UFC 268. Now, it’s time to see if he can build on that momentum.

It won’t be easy against a fighter like Jourdain, who’s 3-1 in his last four fights. He’s someone who’s shown that he can do it all, scoring TKO, unanimous decision and submission victories in his last three wins.

Women’s Flyweight: Lauren Murphy (+172) vs. Miesha Tate (-225)

Lauren Murphy (15-5) will meet former UFC Women's Bantamweight title-holder Miesha Tate (19-8) at UFC on ABC 3.

Murphy was on a five-fight winning streak, leading to a women’s flyweight championship bout at UFC 266. Unfortunately, she came up short against Valentina Shevchenko, who won the match via fourth-round TKO.

Meanwhile, Tate returned to the octagon in 2021 following a five-year absence. She won her return bout via TKO before losing to Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision in November, so it’ll be interesting to see how she rebounds.

UFC on ABC 3 Preliminary Card and Odds

Middleweight: Dalcha Lungiambula (+196) vs. Punahele Soriano (-260)

Dalcha Lungiambula (11-4) and Punahele Soriano (8-2) will meet in middleweight action at UFC on ABC 3.

Lungiambula is in a bit of a funk at the moment, going 1-3 in his last four fights with his last loss coming via first-round submission. He’ll have it tough against a hungry Soriano, who’s searching for a win after losing each of his last two fights.

Bantamweight: Ricky Simon (-170) vs. Jack Shore (+132)

Another fight worth keeping an eye on is the bantamweight matchup between Ricky Simon (19-3) and Jack Shore (16-0).

After losing two straight fights for the first time in his career, Simon has bounced back with four victories in a row. The only question is whether that’s enough to stop Shore, who’s undefeated and won half of his career victories by submission.

Featherweight: Bill Algeo (-220) vs. Herbert Burns (+168)

Two featherweight fighters looking to make some noise at the UBS Arena will be Bill Algeo (15-6) and Herbert Burns (11-3).

Algeo hasn’t been able to maintain any momentum lately, alternating wins and losses since 2019. However, he did score a unanimous decision win over Joanderson Brito in his last fight. Meanwhile, Burns hopes to rebound following a TKO loss to Daniel Pineda nearly two years ago. Only time will tell if he has any rust to shake off.

Light Heavyweight: Dustin Jacoby (+100) vs. Da Un Jung (-128)

The lone light heavyweight bout of the weekend will see Dustin Jacoby (17-5-1) and Da Un Jung (15-2-1) facing off in what could be a show-stealer.

Nobody has been able to slow down Jacoby lately as he’s gone 7-0-1 in his last eight fights, winning five of them by decision. He’ll face his toughest test in a while in Jung, who hasn’t lost since October 2015 due to a 14-0-1 stretch.

Middleweight: Dwight Grant (-146) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+114)

Two middleweight fighters who could use their fortunes changed are Dwight Grant (11-6) and Dustin Stoltzfus (13-4). Fortunately, they’ll both get the chance to do so at UFC on ABC 3.

Grant enters this fight after suffering three losses in his last four fights, with two of those defeats coming by KO/TKO. Unfortunately, Stoltzfus hasn’t been doing much better, losing three straight fights, including the most recent two by submission.

Women’s Strawweight: Jessica Penne (+126) vs. Emily Ducote (-162)

Lastly, Jessica Penne (14-5) and Emily Ducote (11-6) will meet in a women’s strawweight fight in Elmont.

After losing three straight bouts, Penne has rebounded nicely, scoring a split decision victory over Lupita Godinez before submitting Karolina Kowalkiewicz last August.

She’ll look to continue that momentum against the debuting Ducote, a former Invicta FC Strawweight champion. The 28-year-old has won three consecutive fights, making it interesting to see if she can build on that under the UFC umbrella.