The dynamic offense of Yair Rodriguez has led him to a piece of UFC gold.
Mexico’s Rodriguez (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) took on Josh Emmett in the co-main event of UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia with the interim featherweight title on the line. Emmett (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) threatened Rodriguez with big power, but would find himself trapped in a triangle submission in the second round.
The fighters covered a lot of real estate early on as they looked for openings. Rodriguez got the action started with a series of kicks, including a hard blow to the body that hurt Emmett. A moment later they were trading furious punches as the action intensified. Rodriguez’s combinations added kicks, while Emmett stuck with his fists. A hard punch from Emmett connected, causing Rodriguez to drop to the canvas. The fight continued on the mat while Rodriguez didn’t appear hurt, as he was able to maintain guard and answer back with a few sharp elbows from his back.
THE SOUND OF THIS KICK 😮 #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/6XwhQySSrP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 12, 2023
The action continued at a furious pace early in the second round. Rodriguez unleashed a few hard kicks to the body, landing to the same spot that hurt Emmett in the first round. They continued to trade before the fight slowed for a moment in the clinch. Once back in space, Rodriguez kept the pressure high with an array of kicks and a sneaky short elbow.
Rodriguez went for a jumping knee that connected, but Emmett held on for a takedown. Rodriguez stayed busier with elbows and short punches off his back before finding the opening to throw up a triangle submission. He was able to tighten it quickly, and there was no escape for Emmett.
The tap came at 4:19, marking Rodirguez’s first submission win in the UFC.
YAIR RODRIGUEZ BY SUBMISSION!
HE IS THE INTERIM FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION 🏆 #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/4Uwqgvj4Dc
— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2023
Rodriguez becomes the interim featherweight champion, and he now awaits champion Alexander Volkanovski for a unification bout. “El Pantera” has now won two straight, entering on the heels of a first-round stoppage victory due to a shoulder injury over Brian Ortega last July. When Rodriguez gets the opportunity to unify the title will largely depend on the outcome of the main event, where Volkanovski attempts to claim the lightweight title by taking on Islam Makhachev.
Emmett sees his five-fight win streak come to an end in the biggest fight of his UFC career. A split decision win over Calvin Kattar led him to the title opportunity, but ultimately came up short to one of the most dynamic fighters in the featherweight division.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 284 results include:
- Yair Rodriguez def. Josh Emmett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:19
- Jack Della Maddalena def. Randy Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:13
- Justin Tafa def. Parker Porter via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:06
- Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield declared majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
- Modestas Bukauskas def. Tyson Pedro via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Josh Culibao def. Melsik Baghdasaryan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:02
- Kleydson Rodrigues def. Shannon Ross via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:59
- Jamie Mullarkey def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jack Jenkins def. Don Shainis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Loma Lookboonmee def. Elise Reed via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 0:44
- Blake Bilder vs. Shane Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Elves Brenner def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.
