SUMMARY
- Brian Ortega returned to the UFC after an absence of nearly 2 years.
- Ortega made the most of it as he submitted Yair Rodriguez via an arm triangle in round 3.
Brian Ortega made his much-anticipated UFC return against Yair Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2. The featherweight fight took place in the co-main event and fans were truly interested in seeing how Ortega would look on his return to the Octagon after nearly 2 whole years.
Even before the bout started, Brian Ortega seemed to slip while warming up and it buckled his ankle. However, that did not seem to have an adverse effect on “T-City” and it didn’t compromise his feet movement. But Rodriguez, who has been quite active lately, showed his sharpness and nearly finished the bout in round 1 itself. But Ortega survived the onslaught and made a strong return in round 2.
WELCOME BACK BRIAN ORTEGA 🤯@BrianTCity submits Rodriguez for a HUGE victory at #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/fn2yVkU5V8
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
The 33-year-old relied on his impressive BJJ skills and neutralized El Pantera’s striking. While being on the mount, Ortega landed some great ground-and-pound strikes and cut open his opponent. Although he did not finish the contest in that particular round, Brian Ortega sensed a finish coming. In round 3, Ortega got the fight to the ground and submitted Rodriguez without much fuss via an arm triangle.
As many fans know, Ortega’s nickname is “T-City,” which stands for Triangle-City. With the submission win here, Ortega seems to have justified his nickname once more. His record currently stands at 16-3-1. Out of his 16 wins, the Mexican-American fighter has 8 submission wins.
Fans react to Brian Ortega submitting Yair Rodriguez
There is no doubt that Brian Ortega had a tough time early in the contest. Yair Rodriguez is a much more sophisticated fighter striker than Ortega with sharper techniques. But, Yair’s grappling was not comparable to Ortega’s and he paid the price for it. Although Rodriguez has 5 submission wins in his MMA career as well, he never looked comfortable against “T-City” on the mat.
After the bout, fans heavily criticized Rodriguez for his grappling technique. One UFC fan on X (formerly Twitter) added, “Horrible submission defense by Rodriguez. Impressed by Ortega, though. Give me Ortega vs. Topuria!” Another fan wrote, “So was Ortega but Yair had no ground game against a dangerous submission artist.”
BRIAN ORTEGA THE COMEBACK KID GETS THE CHOKE OVER YAIR #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/RyFuJ2FkRy
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 25, 2024
They also congratulated Ortega on the big win as well. One X user wrote, “OMG Brian Ortega!! 😱😱😱 What a comeback!” Another reaction stated, “Ortega with the submission 🫣, wasn’t expecting that.” However, there was brief period when it seemed like Ortega did not realize that Yair had submitted and kept a hold of the triangle. Even the referee Marc Goddard had to confront Ortega after the fight. It seemed like California native came to his senses once the referee strongly intervened.
Some fans also took notice of that and pointed it out on social media. One user added, “Ortega held on to that submission a little long after Yari tapped.” Another fan also agreed with the notion and wrote, “Ortega casually holding the submission for an additional 5 seconds after the tap.”
Brian Ortega scared by Marc Goddard was one of the best things of the night hahaha. #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity pic.twitter.com/o2Is9xmLF9
— Haduucken (@Haduuuucken) February 25, 2024
What did you think of the fight and Brian Ortega’s triumphant return from a career threatening shoulder injury after nearly 2 years? Let us know in the comments below.
