Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2 is the co-main event of UFC Mexico, which will take place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday, February 24
A year and a half after a shoulder injury resulted in a TKO loss Brain Ortega (15-3-1) to Yair Rodriguez (19-4-1), the two fight again. It was the last time Ortega stepped into the Octagon, but this Saturday, he’s coming back.
This guy is without a win in nearly four years, meaning that he’s hungry for success. He’s going to go all-in at UFC Mexico, but so will his opponent. And bookies think his opponent is more likely to win.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2 Odds
Moneyline Odds
Yair Rodriguez -160
Brian Ortega +140
Odds courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday February 23, 2024
When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Yair Rodriguez is a former interim champ whose last fight was against Alex Volkanovski in the UFC Featherweight title fight. He lost the fight by a TKO in the third round.
Volk has since lost the championship belt to Ilia Topuria but will probably get another shot at the title in the future. If not, we could see Topuria get another opponent in his first title defense. It could be the winner of the Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2 fight.
Knowing this, it’s clear that the UFC Mexico co-main event is of super importance for Rodriguez. El Pantera will take this fight seriously, so you can expect him to do well in the Octagon. The thing he does the best is land a lot of punches and kicks. But will he land enough of them to get a win?
Brian Ortega is hungry for success as he’s without a win since 2020 when he defeated The Korean Zombie by decision. In fact, he’s won only one of his last four fights. However, if we’re going to be fair to the guy, each of those three losses happened against real elite opponents.
Two of those happened in the title fight – vs. Max Holloway and vs. Volkanovski. The third happened against Rodriguez after Ortega injured his shoulder.
Knowing all this, it’s clear that he mustn’t be underestimated. He’s got a fantastic set of skills, with his strongest weapon being grappling. He’s a 1st degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu who’s got seven wins by submission, including those against other BJJ black belts, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and others.
