Brian Ortega admitted that it indeed took him a while to release Yair Rodriguez from his arm-triangle choke.
Ortega suffered an injury even before facing Rodriguez at UFC Mexico City last Saturday. This, nonetheless, didn’t stop the fighter from dominating the fight and even ending it with a submission win. Even more, “T-City” went a little too far. Even after Rodriguez tapped to surrender, the fighter didn’t make the release right away, prompting referee Marc Goddard to lecture him after the bout.
We had a little conversation, nothing but respect & thanks. All my interactions with Brian have always been great, he was just a little caught in the moment of the tap. Nothing to see here 🙂 let’s just celebrate an amazing fight & wonderful night in Mexico 🇲🇽 https://t.co/MXzQA8DZgt
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) February 25, 2024
Ortega, nonetheless, was apologetic about the action, with Goddard later commenting that the fighter “was just a little caught in the moment of the tap.” Ortega echoed the statement, affirming that he was unable to recognize the signs that the bout was already stopped.
“There was a saying that this guy told me… ‘What’s the difference between the lion and the gazelle? It’s that the lion wants to be there.’ When I locked it in, I buried my head so deep,” Ortega shared in his post-fight interview. “And from the weight cut and everything, I have to do this (adjusts jaw) to, like, shuffle my ears, ’cause they’re kind of closed right now. I couldn’t hear nothing. And then he was tapping very light. I closed my eyes, and I was in the zone. By the time I felt it, I was like, ‘I’m sorry, dude.’ You just get lost.”
