ELMONT, N.Y. – Like most, Dana White wasn’t pleased with the way Saturday’s UFC event ended.
The UFC president was disappointed to see an injury put an end to Yair Rodriguez (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. Brian Ortega (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Rodriguez and Ortega battled in a key featherweight matchup in the main event of UFC on ABC 3 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.
Unfortunately for Ortega, he suffered a shoulder injury toward the end of Round 1 that ended the fight, giving a TKO victory to Rodriguez.
The matchup was highly anticipated given the history of both fighters. That’s why White was disappointed to see the fight come to an end the way it did.
“It sucks,” White said at the post-fight news conference. “It sucks. It’s a rough sport and these things happen. And it looked like it was shaping up to be a great fight. So, you know, these things are going to happen. What are you going to do? It sucks.”
White respects that both fighters were open to a rematch immediately after the fight ended, but he’s not sure if that’s what’s next for both fighters.
“(Ortega) probably needs shoulder surgery now,” White said. “I had shoulder surgery. It’s a nightmare, and it takes a long time to recover from. We’ll see what happens. I’m not even thinking about that right now. But awesome that they both want to do it.”
