Strawweight: Valesca Machado Vs. Piera Rodriguez
Tale of the Tape
26-years-old
5’4″
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
MSP
8-2 (1 NC)
50% finish-rate
28-years-old
5’3″
Gardena, California but born in Venezuela
Black House MMA/Lilius Barnatt Martial Arts
6-0
5 Finishes
Pros and Cons
Valesca Machado
Pros
- Solid jab
- Excellent muay thai
- Constant pressure
- Frequent output
- Solid TDD
- Good footwork
- Good counter striker
- Well-conditioned
Cons
- Will get caught coming forward
Piera Rodriguez
Pros
- Excellent output
- Good combination striker
- Good gas tank
- Good movement
- Hits hard
- Good in the clinch
- Always coming forward
- Gets better as the fight goes
- Good ground and pound
- Good body-head work
Cons
- TDD needs work
- Will drop her hands at times
Who has the advantage?
Striking: Rodriguez
Speed: Machado
Output/Volume: Rodriguez
Knockout Power: Rodriguez
Chin: Even
Kickboxing: Machado
Footwork: Machado
Wrestling: Neither
Grappling: Rodriguez
Submissions: Neither
Cardio: Rodriguez
Prediction
This is a banger of a fight between two girls where all they know how to do is throw down. They aren’t just brawlers we see on smaller shows however— both these girls are UFC-level now.
Machado is coming up from atomweight but is taller than Rodriguez. It’s a fight where size shouldn’t factor in. Machado’s path to victory is to use her footwork and keep Rodriguez on the outside. The problem is there is no keeping Rodriguez at bay. She’s a bull and I don’t see Machado shying away from trading. It’s going to be a matter of who just gets the better of the other. I favor the more powerful, relentless, and constant aggression of Rodriguez. I think highly of Machado but she’s just matched up with someone that’s better where she’s good herself. The bet I really like for this fight is Rodriguez by decision.
