Brian Ortega-Yair Rodriguez main event at UFC Long Island a surprising letdown

Fight fans know to expect the unexpected when Yair Rodriguez comes to the cage. But who, honestly, could have expected the kinetic kicker from Mexico to pick up the victory over tapout terror Brian Ortega in the Saturday afternoon headliner of the UFC’s first visit to UBS Arena in such a disappointing way? Certainly not the combatants themselves, whom Rodriguez described as “homies” who knew for years their talent and standing in the featherweight division made the matchup an inevitability. Not the fans who paid for seats to the MMA leader’s Long Island return, almost exactly five years after native son Chris Weidman electrified Nassau Coliseum for the first (and last) time.

Ditto for the viewers at home who tuned into ABC for a rare MMA matinee, most of whom presumed Rodriguez’s featherweight title against Ortega was guaranteed fireworks. And for awhile, the action was on its way to realizing the hype. Fists flew.

Rodriguez’s lethal legs let loose. Ortega brought the bout into his world with a takedown late in the opening frame. And then it all unraveled.

Ortega, attempting to escape an armbar attempt and pass Rodriguez’s legs, dislocated his shoulder — not the typical result of such a submission attack. The former two-time title challenger, who refused to quit despite a combined 504-198 significant strike deficit in those championship bouts, immediately doubled back in pain. Fight over.

Was it a “freak accident,” as Ortega dubbed the finish on the post-fight show? More or less. Was it a legitimate victory for Rodriguez, whose actions directly led to the injury? More or less. “It sucks,” UFC president Dana White told reporters afterward regarding the nature of the ending.

“It’s a rough sport, and these things happen. ” Rodriguez had said throughout the week he had been told a victory over Ortega would net him his first shot at UFC gold. But nothing’s in writing, and unfortunate circumstances have scuttled such plans before.

Both men expressed interest in a rematch, feeling compelled to compete for a more concrete answer to the question of who’s the better 145-pounder Ideally, Rodriguez would prefer the stakes be higher next time. “I told him this thing: I’d rather do it for the championship instead of it being a situation like this,” Rodriguez told reporters Saturday. “If you and I are gonna fight again, hopefully we’ll fight for the title.

” Champion Alexander Volkanovski is staring down an elongated layoff too, necessary to heal a fractured right hand suffered in his July 2 title defense. It’s unclear at this stage who would be ready first, Volkanovksi or Ortega. Where does that leave Rodriguez, who’s been a victim of unfortunate timing in the past and has competed only twice since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic? He’s playing company man and leaving that up to UFC brass.

If White’s reaction to the suggestion of a Rodriguez versus Josh Emmett tilt for an interim belt — the creation of which has become regular after years of rarity — is any indication, the 29-year-old from Mexico will get that title shot after all … sort of. Such a fight would solve a backlog issue in the division after Emmett, a highly ranked featherweight who won his fifth in a row last month, and his team expressed frustration with a lack of promotion this month as a potential foe for Volkanovksi. “Wow, that’s pretty good,” said an intrigued Rodriguez of the idea of an interim title fight.

“I don’t know what to say to that. Whatever they want to do, I’m willing to do whatever they want to do. The ideal fight would be Volkanovski, but he’s out.

So, I guess, whatever Dana says. ”.