The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hosted UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 in Mexico City, Mexico, on February 24, 2024. The card was laced with impressive and exciting fights between different fighters across the weight classes. The event was headlined by former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, and Brandon Royval in a flyweight bout. The former UFC interim featherweight champion, Yair Rodriguez, locked horns with Brian Ortega on the main card of the fight night. Ortega emerged victorious, securing a submission victory in the third round.
Yair Rodriguez is a leading professional mixed martial artist and has been competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for over a decade. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut on October 10, 2011, against Jonatan Guzman at Mexican Fighter Promotions 8. He started his career with a win by defeating Guzman via unanimous decision.
Yair Rodriguez fought in multiple fight promotions before making his way into the UFC. He faced Josh Emmett on February 12, 2023, at UFC 284 for the interim UFC featherweight championship. Rodriguez defeated Emmett by second-round submission and won the interim belt. He faced Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 for featherweight title unification and lost via third-round TKO.
Yair Rodriguez’s opponent for his upcoming fight, Brian Ortega, is one of the leading contenders in the featherweight division. He made his professional debut as a mixed martial artist against John Sassone at Gladiator Challenge: Maximum Force on April 25, 2010. Ortega won the match by defeating Sassone via first-round submission and started his career with a win. Ortega compiled eight consecutive victories on his record before making his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega Stats
| Stats | Yair Rodriguez | Brian Ortega |
| Record | 19-5-1 ( KOs) | 16-3-1 (11 KOs) |
| Championship | - | - |
| Age | 31 | 32 |
| Height | 1.80m | 1.72m |
| Division(s) | Featherweight | Featherweight |
| Reach | 71” | 69” |
| Win Streak (Active) | 0 | 0 |
| Professional Debut | 2011 | 2010 |
Yair Rodriguez Record
Yair Rodriguez has a professional record of 19 wins, 5 losses, and 1 no-contest to his name as a professional mixed martial artist.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 19 - 5 (1) | Brian Ortega | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 | February 24, 2024 | 3 | 0:58 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Loss | 19–4 (1) | Alexander Volkanovski | TKO (punches) | UFC 290 | July 8, 2023 | 3 | 4:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–3 (1) | Josh Emmett | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 284 | February 12, 2023 | 2 | 4:19 | Perth, Australia | Won the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–3 (1) | Brian Ortega | TKO (shoulder injury) | UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez | July 16, 2022 | 1 | 4:11 | Elmont, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 17–3 (1) | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–2 (1) | Jeremy Stephens | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman | October 18, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| NC | 16–2 (1) | Jeremy Stephens | NC (accidental eye poke) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 0:15 | Mexico City, Mexico | Accidental eye poke rendered Stephens unable to continue. |
| Win | 16–2 | Jung Chan-sung | KO (elbow) | UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez | November 10, 2018 | 5 | 4:59 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. Knockout of the Year. |
| Loss | 15–2 | Frankie Edgar | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 211 | May 13, 2017 | 2 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 15–1 | B.J. Penn | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn | January 15, 2017 | 2 | 0:24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–1 | Alex Caceres | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres | August 6, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Andre Fili | KO (head kick) | UFC 197 | April 23, 2016 | 2 | 2:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1 | Dan Hooker | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 192 | October 3, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Charles Rosa | Decision (split) | UFC 188 | June 13, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 10–1 | Leonardo Morales | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 180 | November 15, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Featherweight Tournament. |
| Win | 5–1 | Angelo Duarte | Submission (armbar) | NP: High Altitude Face Off 6 | April 4, 2014 | 1 | 2:12, | Alamosa, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Édgar Juárez | KO (flying knee) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 14 | February 16, 2013 | 1 | 0:13 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Roberto Herrera | KO (punches) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 13 | December 20, 2012 | 1 | 1:21 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Win | 3–0 | Carlos Ricardo | Submission (triangle choke) | The Supreme Cage 1 | March 10, 2012 | 3 | 0:50 | Monterrey, Mexico | |
| Win | 2–0 | Edgar Balderrama | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jueves DIC 22 | December 22, 2011 | 1 | 2:13 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jonatan Guzmán | Decision (unanimous) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 8 | October 10, 2011 | 3 | 3:00 | Mexico City, Mexico |
Brian Ortega Record
Brian Ortega has a professional record of 16 wins, 3 losses, and 1 no-contest to his name as a professional mixed martial artist.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 16 - 3 (1) | Yair Rodriguez | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 | February 24, 2024 | 3 | 0:58 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Loss | 15–3 (1) | Yair Rodríguez | TKO (shoulder injury) | UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez | July 16, 2022 | 1 | 4:11 | Elmont, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 15–2 (1) | Alexander Volkanovski | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 266 | September 25, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Featherweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 15–1 (1) | Jung Chan-sung | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie | October 18, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 14–1 (1) | Max Holloway | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 231 | December 8, 2018 | 4 | 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | For the UFC Featherweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 14–0 (1) | Frankie Edgar | KO (punch) | UFC 222 | March 3, 2018 | 1 | 4:44 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | UFC featherweight title eliminator. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13–0 (1) | Cub Swanson | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega | December 9, 2017 | 2 | 3:22 | Fresno, California, United States | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 12–0 (1) | Renato Moicano | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 214 | July 29, 2017 | 3 | 2:59 | Anaheim, California, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0 (1) | Clay Guida | KO (knee) | UFC 199 | June 4, 2016 | 3 | 4:40 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 (1) | Diego Brandão | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 195 | January 2, 2016 | 3 | 1:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 (1) | Thiago Tavares | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson | June 6, 2015 | 3 | 4:10 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| NC | 8–0 (1) | Mike De La Torre | NC (overturned) | UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown | July 26, 2014 | 1 | 1:39 | San Jose, California, United States | Originally a submission (rear-naked choke) win for Ortega; overturned after he tested positive for drostanolone. |
| Win | 8–0 | Keoni Koch | Decision (split) | RFA 12 | January 24, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Won the RFA Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Jordan Rinaldi | Submission (triangle choke) | RFA 9 | August 6, 2013 | 3 | 2:29 | Pomona, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Thomas Guimond | Submission (triangle choke) | Respect in the Cage 20 | May 4, 2013 | 1 | 4:02 | Pomona, California, United States | Defended the RTC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Carlos Garces | Decision (unanimous) | Respect in the Cage 10 | March 12, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Pomona, California, United States | Won the RTC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Chris Mercado | Decision (unanimous) | Respect in the Cage 9 | January 15, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Pomona, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Vincent Martinez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Respect in the Cage 5 | July 24, 2010 | 1 | 1:54 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Brady Harrison | Decision (unanimous) | Gladiator Challenge: Bad Behaviour | June 27, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jacinto, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | John Sassone | Submission (triangle choke) | Gladiator Challenge: Maximum Force | April 25, 2010 | 1 | 1:48 | San Jacinto, California, United States |
Yair Rodriguez Losses
Yair Rodriguez has suffered 5 losses as a professional mixed martial artist since making his debut. His first loss came against Roberto Herrara, who defeated Rodriguez at Mexican Fighters Promotions 13 via first-round KO. He lost his second fight against Frankie Edgar at UFC 211 by a second-round KO.
Yair Rodriguez was defeated for the third time in his professional career by Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodriguez by a unanimous decision. Rodriguez lost the fourth fight of his professional career by losing to Alexander Volkanovski via third-round TKO at UFC 290 when the two squared off against each other for the undisputed UFC featherweight title. His most recent loss was against Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Night 237 on February 24, 2024.
Last Updated On February 25, 2024
FAQs on Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega Head to Head Record
A. The professional MMA record of Yair Rodriguez is 19 wins, 5 losses, and 1 no-contest.
A. Brian Ortega has a professional MMA record of 16 wins, 3 losses, and 1 no-contest.
A. The duo locked horns with each other on February 24, 2024.
A. He is ranked as the No. 2 ranked fighter in UFC’s featherweight rankings.
A. Brian Ortega is ranked as No. 4 in UFC’s featherweight rankings.
