Liu Ce and Levi Rodrigues Jr. meet on the UFC Fight Night 286 main cardon Saturday at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
- Last event's results: 4-2
- UFC main cards, 2026: 93-50-1
Ce (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is making his UFC debut, while Rodrigues (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will enter UFC Shanghai roughly two months removed from being finished in his UFC debut this past June.
Liu Ce vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr. UFC Fight Night 286 expert pick, predictionDespite having a slew of lighter-weight action fights on the prelims, the UFC matchmakers still felt necessary to fulfill their fetish of force-feeding us lower-level big guys on Fight Night main cards.
This week, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby saw fit to feature Levi Rodrigues Jr. against UFC newcomer Ce Liu.
In their defense, Ce looks like must-see TV when operating on the feet. But if the Chinese kickboxer is forced to work from his back, Ce shows ultra-suspect grappling, to say the least.
Rodrigues Jr. doesn't appear to be the kind of fighter who can take advantage of that sort of opening, but fights at this level can take many unsuspected directions should it get extended.
I'll semi-reluctantly take Ce to score an early knockout in the first frame, but this isn't a fight I'd put too much stake into.
Liu Ce vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr. UFC Fight Night 286 oddsThe oddsmakers and the public heavily favor the American fighter, listing Ce -198 and Rodrigues Jr. +166 via FanDuel.
Liu Ce vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr. UFC Fight Night 286 start time, how to watchCe and Rodrigues are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 6:40 a.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Liu Ce vs. Levi Rodrigues Jr. prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 286
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