This Saturday, live at the UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, we witness a clash of two top-five featherweight contenders, as Brian “T-City” Ortega faces off against fellow Mexican warrior Yair “Pantera” Rodriguez.
After seeing UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski settle his trilogy against Max Holloway at UFC 276, there is no question that Volkanovski is the undisputed best featherweight in the world and Holloway is just a step behind him.
Just below Holloway would be the No. 2-ranked contender Brian Ortega and No. 3-ranked Yair Rodriguez, who look to settle who’s next to knock on the door of the champion’s kingdom.
Ortega (15-2-1) has only been defeated via decision by the champion Volkanovski this past September and doctor’s stoppage TKO by former champion Holloway in December 2018, both being title fights.
His loss to Holloway was a rather lopsided beating at the hands of the Hawaiian star, as many had the hopes of Ortega being the future champion as he was on a surging rise, defeating Clay Guida, Renato Moicano, Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar on his rise to the top.
After taking two years off after the Holloway fight, the Los Angeles native returned in October 2020 to put on a striking clinic against ‘The Korean Zombie’ which showed layers to his arsenal being known more for his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess.
It was his next title opportunity against Volkanovski that, despite also being in losing fashion, showed Ortega is just a few pieces away from really putting it all together to become the champion he was labeled to eventually become, as he and Volkanovski put on a fight of the year candidate that saw Ortega put the champ in various situations where he was a submission away from winning the title. With a win Saturday against his friend Yair Rodriguez, Ortega hopes to gain another shot at Volkanovski.
For Saturdays #UFCLongIsland main event
56% of bets are on Brian Ortega (-175) vs. Yair Rodriguez (+145) per @BodogCA
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/tScXoCdfkV
— James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) July 15, 2022
For much of his now eight years in the UFC, Yair Rodriguez (13-3-1) had been in the top-10 mix of the featherweight rankings, however, injuries and long hiatuses between fights have derailed the rise of Rodriguez.
On his rise to the top of the rankings, Rodriguez was also looked at as a future champion, disposing the likes of B.J. Penn and Andre Fili in violent fashions, before being derailed by Frankie Edgar in May 2017.
Afterward, Rodriguez had a fight of the year and knockout of the year performance against ‘The Korean Zombie’ with his career highlight last-second elbow knockout, following it up with a victory over Jeremy Stephens in 2019 after their first meeting ended in a no-contest in the first round due to an eye poke.
After this win, however, Rodriguez was away from the Octagon for two years, finally returning in a fight of the year candidate against Max Holloway in November 2021 where much like Ortega with Volkanovski, Rodriguez also gained respect in defeat to Holloway.
Now with both men hanging onto their top-five ranks, stock intact after strong performances in recent losses to the top two featherweight rankings, Ortega and Rodriguez will put their friendship aside to represent their brands to stamp their ticket at featherweight gold.
