The co-main event of UFC Mexico City features a rematch between two of featherweights best. Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega fought back in July of 2022, with a shoulder injury for Ortega cutting the fight short in the first round.
Brian Ortega makes his first return to the cage following that shoulder injury that he suffered in their first bout. He comes into the fight hungry for a win in his comeback, with his last win coming in October of 2020. He’s challenged for the featherweight title twice, facing two of the best 145-pound fighters of all time, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.
Yair Rodriguez comes into the fight off a loss in his first opportunity at a title shot. Taking on now-former champion Alexander Volkanovski, Rodriguez was outclassed and finished in Round 3. Rodriguez seems motivated to fight for the title again, especially after laying into current champion Ilia Topuria at the pre-fight press conference.
This fight should answer any questions that were left unanswered in their first bout. It will also be a 5-round co-main event, mirroring the first fight in everything but time.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega Recap
The first round started hot with both men exchanging punches in the pocket. Rodriguez dropped Ortega with a big right hand and stalked him down while his face was already bloody. Ortega started to let his hands go and seemed to be recovered before being dropped with a leg kick. Rodriguez landed some heavy ground and pound from the top while Ortega looked to snatch up a submission off his back. Ortega was able to lock up the back and end the round on top, however, he had a lot of work to make up.
Ortega came out hard in Round 2 while heavily pressuring the takedown. He got it with over three minutes left in the round and landed some good strikes on top. He stayed on top landing strikes for the entirety of the round and even cut Rodriguez with a big elbow.
Ortega was quick to grab a takedown in Round 3 and ended up in a dominant position on top. He locked in a tight arm triangle that forced Yair to tap and grabbed a massive win.
The win came at 0:58 of Round 3 to give Ortega a massive win in his comeback fight. The win could potentially guarantee Ortega a title shot against Ilia Topuria later this year.
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