Yair Rodriguez wins at UFC Long Island after Ortega injures shoulder

Jan 15, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Yair Rodriguez holds a Mexico flag as he celebrates his TKO of B.J. Penn (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In the main event of UFC Long Island saw a pivotal matchup in the featherweight division. Former two-time title challenger Brian “T-City” Ortega (15-2, 1 NC) returned and he was taking on “El Pantera” Yair Rodriguez (13-3, 1 NC).

Both men are coming off losses, but they are coming off losses to the two best guys in the world. The last time we saw Ortega was at UFC 266 when he took on Alexander Volkanovski. Despite being dominated for most of the fight, Ortega was moments away on a couple occasions to submitting the champion.

However, he wasn’t able to pull it off and he fell short. Ortega is 1-2 in his last three and those two losses came to the champion and Max Holloway. Speaking of Max Holloway, that’s who Yair Rodriguez last fought.

Rodriguez and Holloway headlined a UFC Fight Night back in November. It was a very competitive fight with Holloway pulling away just enough to win a decision. However, Yair Rodriguez showed how dangerous he was in that matchup.

UFC Long Island Recap

Round 1

The UFC Long Island main event kicked off with a touch of the gloves. Ortega immediately takes the center and starts with pressure. Rodriguez connects with an early combination and Ortega counters with a right.

Big left straight from Rodriguez and Ortega lands another right hand. Jab and left hook for Ortega and Rodriguez returns. Quick combination from Rodriguez and Ortega gets a body lock. Ortega pushes Rodriguez back towards the fence.

Knees to the body from Ortega. Ortega with a lot of pressure here against the fence and he’s trying to get the fight to the ground. Rodriguez is doing a good job of keeping the fight standing as of now. However, he can’t get Ortega off of him as of now.

Good clinch work here from Ortega as he lands a couple of knees to the thigh. 90 seconds left in the round and Rodriguez breaks the clinch. Huge 1-2 from Rodriguez lands flush. Head kick from Rodriguez and he lands a couple of big shots behind it.

Ortega shoots for a takedown. He gets the takedown. Rodriguez attacks the arm. Ortega goes to pull his arm out and his shoulder pops out. Yair Rodriguez is going to win by injury TKO at UFC Long Island.

Yair Rodriguez def. Brian Ortega by TKO (Shoulder Injury) – Round 1