UFC Fight Night 237 was really Brian Ortega’s night. Not only did the fighter avenge his 2022 loss to Yair Rodriguez, but he also won via submission despite enduring a twisted ankle while inside the cage.
It was a long night for Ortega as his win only came in Round 3 of the match. However, even from the start of the bout, many, including pros, already noticed that there was something wrong with the fighter’s leg, especially after he hopped only using one. Despite this, “T-City” surprisingly dominated the second round of the fight by mounting Rodriguez.
WELCOME BACK BRIAN ORTEGA 🤯@BrianTCity submits Rodriguez for a HUGE victory at #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/fn2yVkU5V8
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
The position happened again in the third round, but the fighter ensured his battle would end with a finish. As such, the featherweight’s current No. 4 fighter performed an arm-triangle choke, pushing the opponent to tap at the 0:58 mark of the round, albeit Ortega made the release longer than expected.
This has brought Ortega back to the winning column after earlier losing to Alexander Volkanovski and Rodriguez in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Even more, the comeback victory allowed the fighter to get the promotion’s extra $50,000 bonus.
