PREDICTIONS: Juan Francisco Estrada vs Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez

Juan Francisco Estrada faces Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez on Saturday.

Scott Christ (30-8)

It’s not that every fighter who trains under Robert Garcia is a brilliant talent or is given the expert guidance, but Bam is one that Garcia has a special interest in, and they’ve targeted Estrada for a while now. They’ve known exactly what and who they want to return to 115, and why.

So I have to agree with Garcia’s judgment. Rodriguez is just too good for an advanced age Estrada, but I think “Gallo” will make a fight of it, it won’t be a full whuppin’ or a total rout.

Wil Esco (23-15)

‘Bam’ Rodriguez would have you believe he’s counted out in this fight against Juan Francisco Estrada. This isn’t really in line with reality but sometimes top athletes just need to convince themselves in order to keep that ‘chip on shoulder’ mentality. Fine by me. The fact is Bam is already regarded as a top 10 P4P talent by many, myself included, and Estrada’s best days are behind him after the many punishing fights he’s been in. I expect Rodriguez to handle business here by clearly outpointing the older veteran, and while I wouldn’t be surprised if he forced a stoppage I think it’s more likely that he takes a clear unanimous decision when it’s all said and done. Rodriguez UD-12

John Hansen (25-13)

We don’t even need to see the Argi Cortes version of Estrada in this fight for me to favor Bam. He’s already proven himself against hard hitting, proven veterans. And, one of the best pound-for-pound tactical fighters in the world right now, too. My only worry is that Bam has entered the Stupid Tattoo phase of his career, and sometimes that’s a bad omen. I’ll be bold, and pick the finish. Rodriguez TKO-10

Patrick Stumnberg (26-12)

Under ideal circumstances, I’d give Estrada a very real chance to halt Rodriguez in his tracks. Despite his lovely footwork, “Bam” can be hit, which is a bad descriptor to have against the magnificent offense of “El Gallo.”

These are not ideal circumstances. Estrada has been out for 18 months, which is almost the exact same layoff that saw him barely escape from Argi Cortes after his second fight with “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. His previous shaky performance, his rematch with Carlos Cuadras, came after a 14-month layoff. Rodriguez snowballs way too quickly to let Estrada shake off any rust, has the skill and firepower to hold his own in a firefight, and is too adept at cutting the ring for Estrada to play keep-away until he slips into gear.

I believe 100% that Estrada still has at least one more legendary night left in him. It just won’t be Saturday. The younger, fresher Rodriguez takes it 8-4 or 9-3. Rodriguez UD-12