UFC on ESPN 44: Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez 04/15/2023 Analysis, Best Picks and Odds
Gillian Robertson will take on Piera Rodriguez in a three-round women’s strawweight contest as part of the UFC on ESPN 44 undercard offering on Saturday. Rodriguez looks to maintain her nine-fight unbeaten streak against Robertson, who seeks second straight win and first of this year. The initial UFC betting odds are slightly in favor of Rodriguez in this encounter due to her unbeaten record and impressive victories against Sam Hughes and Kay Hansen. However, Robertson may spring a surprise like her victory over Mariya Agapova that resulted in a technical submission win within two rounds.
Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez
Date & Time: Saturday, April 15, 2022 at 5:30 PM ET
Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
TV: ESPN+
Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez Betting Odds
Robertson
Moneyline: -115
Rodriguez
Moneyline: -105
UFC on ESPN 44: Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez 04/15/2023 Analysis, Best Picks and Odds
Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez Analysis
Gillian “The Savage” Robertson aims to add another victory to her record of 11-7-0. At 27 years old and 5’5″ tall, this orthodox fighter weighs in at 115 lbs and lands 2.28 significant strikes per minute while her counterpart, Piera Rodriguez is landing 3.91 significant strikes per minute. Piera “La Fiera” Rodriguez stands 5’3″, weighs in at 115 lbs, and boasts an orthodox fighting record of 9-0-0. At 30 years old she can reach heights of up to 63″. Robertson hits 48% of significant strikes she attempts, while Rodriguez hits 47%. They both absorb 2.93 significant strikes per minute while “La Fiera” takes 3.02 Robertson deflects 49% of her opponents’ major hits while Rodriguez manages to stop 60% of shots fired her way.
Gillian Robertson defeated Mariya Agapova in her last fight by way of rear naked choke in round 2. Agapova landed 84 of 107 strikes she released during this bout, while Robertson only managed to land 7 of 20 strikes she released during this contest. Agapova was successful at landing 39 out of 58 significant strikes for 67%. 36 of 53 significant hits she connected on were to the head. Robertson only managed 28%, landing four of 14 significant strikes – none connected with Agapova but all were done from distance by Robertson.
Piera Rodriguez had an exciting fight against Sam Hughes and won via unanimous decision in round three. Hughes connected on 79% of her significant strikes at distance while Rodriguez only managed 56%, connecting on 83 of 160 significant attempts while landing 32 of 101 striking to her head area. Hughes managed to land 69 of 155 significant strikes during this fight, landing 55 of 135 that targeted her head area. Of all of the total strikes thrown during this contest, Hughes landed 78 and Rodriguez ended up landing 89 of 166 of her total number of throws.
Gillian Robertson vs Piera Rodriguez Free Pick
Robertson must win against Rodriguez to stay relevant in the women’s strawweight division. She needs a win against Rodriguez to restore her career and gain better fights in the future, while Rodriguez needs 10 straight victories to establish herself in this division. Victory over Robertson would catapult Rodriguez to the top of the UFC rankings and potentially open up more productive fights and title shots in the future. UFC picks tonight favor Rodriguez over Robertson; however, do not sleep on Canadian as she may surprise with submission moves and grappling that turns the fight around quickly.
Free Pick: Piera Rodriguez -105
