Another day, another pair of fight announcements. This time, they’re for events on opposite sides of the world from each other: Yair Rodriguez vs Dan Hooker, UFC 192 TUF Latin America winner Yair Rodriguez (6-1) looks to move his UFC win streak to three against a very dangerous New Zealander in Dan Hooker (12-5). Rodriguez looked phenomenal in his most recent bout, a split decision victory over Charles Rosa where he showcased significant improvements in both his striking and submission game. Hooker, on the other hand, is coming off a career-defining victory over Hatsu Hioki in a bout where he landed a vicious head kick to set up a second round knockout finish. This will be the first time either man has fought in the United States. Rodriguez has competed in Mexico for all six of his professional victories while Hooker has competed exclusively in Asia or Australia/New Zealand. The winner of this bout will likely make a big move up the ladder in the featherweight division and I think the line will be very close, although slightly in favor of Hooker considering his impressive recent finish. Roger Huerta vs Koji Ando, OneFC 30 Former UFC contender Roger Huerta (22-7-1, 1NC) will also make his return to top Asian MMA promotion OneFC later this year. Huerta has been booked to take on recent OneFC title challenger Koji Ando (11-4-2) for the promotion’s 30th event in September. Huerta returned from a two year hiatus to defeat Christian Holley via first round TKO in August of 2014 and has not competed since. Huerta had previously lost four straight bouts prior to the Holley victory. He has primarily focused on coaching at the Tiger Muay Thai gym in Phuket, Thailand, home to top UFC prospects like Mairbek Taisumov among others. Due to Huerta’s popularity, a victory over Ando could potentially set Huerta up for a title shot against champion Shinya Aoki. I would expect Huerta to open as a favorite, although things could change considering his overall performance over the last five years.
