Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez are set to settle their score. The opportunity will come in a few months.
The announcement came from Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He made it public on social media on a Thursday night.
The event? A five-round co-main event. It’s scheduled to take place at the Mexico City Arena on February 24th. The occasion is UFC Fight Night 237.
Ortega and Rodriguez have a history. They first met in UFC Long Island back in July 2022. That night, “T-City” Ortega suffered a fight-ending shoulder injury just over four minutes into the first round.
The result? Rodriguez was declared the winner. This victory propelled him to an interim title opportunity. Since then, Rodriguez, also known as “El Pantera,” has fought twice. Ortega, on the other hand, has been on the sidelines, focusing on his shoulder recovery.
Rodriguez’s victory over Ortega led to more success. He claimed the interim featherweight strap by defeating Josh Emmett with a triangle choke at UFC 284. However, he fell short of unifying the belt. He lost to champion Alexander Volkanovski at Sherdog’s 2023 “Event of the Year”-winning UFC 290. In the UFC, Rodriguez has only been defeated by current or former belt holders: Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, and Volkanovski.
Ortega’s last victory was back in October 2020 against Chan Sung Jung. The Californian has had a tough couple of years, facing top-tier opponents like Holloway, Volkanovski, and Rodriguez. Currently, he’s on the only losing streak of his career, a stark contrast to his initial 15 wins and a no contest without a defeat.
UFC Mexico, the first UFC event in the country since 2019, will be headlined by a flyweight match. Former champion Brandon Moreno will face rising contender Amir Albazi. Other matches include a pair of flyweight scraps. Victor Altamirano will face Felipe dos Santos, and Edgar Chairez will take on Daniel da Silva.