UFC on ESPN 26: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Preston Parsons Picks and Predictions

Daniel Rodriguez and Preston Parsons face off in the prelim card of UFC on ESPN 26 in a welterweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. 

Daniel Rodriguez comes into this fight with a 14-2 record overall and in the UFC he has won five of his six fights Rodriguez’s last fight was against Mike Perry in April of 2021, and Rodriguez won by unanimous decision. Rodriguez outstruck Perry 129-81 and that was enough to come away with the victory. Rodriguez is all about putting pressure on his opponent, and he is averaging 7.87 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 5.69 significant strikes per minute/ Rodriguez takes a lot of damage, but he has a strong chin that can handle it. Rodriguez is averaging 1.06 takedowns every 15 minutes, and he is successful on 55 percent of his takedown attempts. Rodriguez also stops 78 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. In this game, it’s going to be about putting the pressure on Parsons and trying to wear him down early. 

On the other side of this fight is Preston Parsons who will be making his UFC debut in this fight. Parsons currently sits a 9-2 record overall and he has won four fights in a row. One of Parson’s losses during his career came against Mike Perry. Parsons last fight came against Jeff Peterson in early June, and that was a fight he won by armbar. In this fight, Parsons needs to be ready for the pressure that Rodriguez is going to put on him, and he needs to try to get into a position to finish this fight by submission.