UFC Fight Night: Will legend Penn pull massive upset?

What: UFC Fight Night, Yair Rodriguez vs. BJ Penn

When: Sunday, Jan. 15 

Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix

When: Prelims 8 p.m. ET; main card 10 p.m. ET

Odds: Rodriguez (-525), Penn (+325)

Odds courtesy of Stratosphere Sportsbook

UFC fight night from Phoenix this Sunday night starts 2017 with an interesting fight in the featherweight division.

MMA legend BJ Penn makes yet another return to the octagon, this time taking on Yair Rodriguez. Rodriguez has won all five of his UFC fights coming in to this match, and will be full of confidence and definitely a hard fight for Penn.

Penn, one of the greatest fighters in the lower weight divisions in MMA history, has lost his last three fights, the most recent in 2014 when he was finished in the third round by Frankie Edgar.

This fight comes down to how much Penn still has left in the tank at this point in his career, and how motivated is he to train hard each day.

Usually, these type of matchups favor the up-and-comer over the veteran, but this line still seems a little high based on the opponents Rodriguez has faced.

Rodriguez at about a $5 favorite basically means, "Do I feel he can beat Penn six out of seven times to make a profit?"

The answer to me is no as Penn, at age 38, could still have one more or even two more good fights left in him.

Penn at his best would easily handle Rodriguez, but we have to deal with the weathered legend we get Sunday.

It’s a tough fight to call, but getting a great fighter like Penn at +325 against a fairly inexperienced fighter is too tempting to pass up.

Pick: Penn (+325)

Lightweights: Joe Lauzon (-140) vs. Marcin Held (+110)

On the undercard, Joe Lauzon takes on Marcin Held in a lightweight fight. This could be the best bout on the card, as both fighters love to strike and force the pace.

Lauzon is not quite at the championship level, but is always tough against opponents at his class level.

Held lost a three-round decision to Diego Sanchez last November, while Lauzon knocked out the same Sanchez in just over one minute in July also last year.

Pick: Lauzon (-140)

Welterweights: Ben Saunders (-120) vs. Court McGee (-110)

Another bout on the undercard with some value is a Welterweight fight between Court McGee and Ben Saunders.

Saunders (-120), now in his second run in the UFC, has always been a little underrated and should offer some good value here.

Since coming back to the UFC from Bellator, he has won four of his five fights. He should probably finish McGee early.

Pick: Saunders (-120)