Brian Ortega’s first attempt vs. Yair Rodriguez ended in an injury and a loss. The second attempt started with an injury and ended in victory.
In a rollercoaster 15-minute stretch, Ortega (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) overcame an ankle injury and an onslaught of striking to defeat Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) by arm-triangle choke at the 0:58 mark of Round 3.
WELCOME BACK BRIAN ORTEGA 🤯@BrianTCity submits Rodriguez for a HUGE victory at #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/fn2yVkU5V8
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
Ortega was tagged numerous times in the opening frame by Rodriguez, as the MMA world watched and wondered what went wrong with his leg during Bruce Buffer’s introduction. Ortega appeared to tweak something, and briefly hopped around around on one leg, but later revealed he twisted his ankle.
Impaired or not, Ortega controlled position in Round 2 before the submission came in Round 3. He ended Round 2 in mount and drowned Rodriguez more in Round 3. Ortega locked in the choke, got the tap, and picked up his first win since October 2020.
The release of the submission post-tap was a bit delayed, and got the attention of referee Marc Goddard who gave an apologetic Ortega an earful upon the fight’s conclusion.