“That’s what we are looking for,” Yair Rodriguez affirms UFC title shot to be given if he wins the Brian Ortega fight
Follow Us
Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez might’ve returned after a very long time but it didn’t took him that long to prove that is still one of the most phenomenal strikers on the current UFC roster right now. Even if Rodriguez lost his last fight against former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, he gave Holloway a look we have never seen on the former champ’s face before. Rodriguez did gave a lot of problems even after fading away from the Octagon for nearly two years.
Rodriguez otherwise is known for his wins over the likes of BJ Penn, Chan Sung Jung, Jeremy Stephens, Andre Fili, Dan Hooker and many more. Rodriguez is one of the rare strikers from a Taekwondo background who like to dominate the fight more with their kicks than hands. Yair is next headed to fight former 2-time UFC title challenger Brian Ortega who’s a submission specialist but a great striker as well who managed to give the current champ, Alexander Volkanovski the most trouble.
Also Read: “He wants to renegotiate,” Jake Paul reveals Hasim Rehman Jr fight might be called off
Despite assurance, Yair Rodriguez focused only on Brian Ortega before thinking about title fight
In an interview at MMA Fighting’s THE MMA HOUR with Ariel Helwani, Yair Rodriguez talks in elaborately about his fight with Ortega, his review of Alexander Volkanovski’s performance at UFC 276 and much more. Rodriguez was finally asked about if he will be getting the first ever title fight of his UFC career provided he wins against Ortega.
“Yes, that has been said to me,” says Rodriguez “Yeah, that’s what we’re looking for. First things first, I’m going to win this fight and then give the champ some time to heal and yeah, go for it. For now, let’s take it step by step, first things first, July 16, Brian Ortega, that’s for now.” [h/t MMA Fighting]
Volkanovski however has other plans in future and that does not include defending his title for the fifth but rather fight for another title at a bigger division in the lightweight. For that, Volkanovski is most likely to go against former champion Charles Oliveira who’s on a monstrous run of finishes over the likes of extremely dangerous fighters like Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler and many more.
On the other hand even if Yair Rodriguez wins against Ortega, what will the UFC do about Josh Emmett? Emmett is already on a multi-fight winning streak with his last win being over Calvin Kattar, the biggest of Emmett’s career. Right after that, Emmett has been vouching heavily for a title shot for himself.
Stay Updated!
Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)