Yair Rodriguez took on Josh Emmett for the interim featherweight championship in the co-main event at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. Rodriguez, known for his quickness on the feet, and his vicious leg kicks proved to be too much for Josh Emmett who struggled to close the distance against the Mexican fighter.
Yair, as was expected of him, started aggressively with the vicious intent to land those leg kicks. However, as it turned out, it was a second-round submission that got him the victory. Yair Rodrguez submitted Josh Emmett via a triangle choke to become the new interim featherweight champion of the world.
Yair Rodriguez doesn’t call out Alexander Volkanovski after victory at UFC 284
Yairz’s leg kick game proceeds possibly every fighter in the UFC and he used it to his maximum advantage against Emmett who looked clueless against Yair’s speed and ferocity. The Mexican fighter came with a great game plan as he relied heavily on body kicks and head kicks to manage distance and land powerful shots on Emmett.
YAIR RODRIGUEZ GETS THE INTERIM BELT BY SECOND ROUND TRIANGLE #UFC284 https://t.co/vVtNDvWFz2
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 12, 2023
As it turned out, Rodriguez hurt Emmett on several occasions and even looked dangerous from his back on the ground. When the chance came, he locked in a perfect triangle choke to get the victory late in the second round. The win marked Yair Rodriguez’s first victory via way of submission in a career spanning 19 mixed martial arts bouts.
Also, in the process, he snapped Josh Emmett’s five-fight win streak. After the fight, Yair refused to call out Alexander Volaknovski out of respect for the featherweight champion’s title fight against Islam Makhachev. The interim featherweight champion will take on Alexander Volkanovski next regardless of the result, considering the Australian fighter has shown no desire to leave the division.