UFC Fight Night takeaways: Should Yair Rodriguez get a identify shot? Is Miesha Tate now a gatekeeper?
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What were the biggest moments at UFC Fight Night in Long Island? Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim provide up their takeaways from an amusing-crammed event in Elmont, New York.
There is lots to unpack from a disappointing UFC Long Island main event. How does Yair Rodriguez’s victory following a Brian Ortega injury affect the UFC featherweight title picture? We’ll get to that. But first, it is essential to the kingdom that Rodriguez should receive a credit score for this as a real win. Yes, Ortega’s shoulder popped out, main to the TKO finish. And positive, in normal instances that sort of aspect does not typically happen; Rodriguez turned into not attempting to pop Ortega’s shoulder out with a particular technique.
However, Rodriguez becomes trying an armbar from the lowest role and Ortega injured his shoulder even as trying to shield said submission attempt. That’s a legitimate victory. Ortega did not slip and injure himself, and he didn’t step the wrong manner and harm his ankle and knee. The injury changed into sustained at the same time as scuffling with for role with Rodriguez at the ground. So, whilst Rodriguez turned into now not attacking the shoulder with a submission or a strike especially, the shoulder was broken at some point of an actual offensive move by means of Rodriguez and a protecting circulate by Ortega.
This result absolutely alters how the UFC plans out the top of the featherweight department. Rodriguez becomes likely to get a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski with a win. He did win and it become an actual victory, however, it wasn’t the form of victory that usually results in title photographs. While the UFC should honestly do Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez — and it might be an absolute banger of a fight that few might bitch about — it now appears more likely that we may be searching at Rodriguez against Josh Emmett in a No. 1 contender combat.
Meanwhile, Volkanovski fought just weeks ago against Max Holloway and needs a surgical procedure to restore a thumb injury. UFC president Dana White stated within the postfight news convention Saturday that the UFC is thinking about an interim title, which looks as if a disservice to Volkanovski thinking about how energetic he has been as champion. If the intervening time name involves fruition, then Rodriguez vs. Emmett could make the most experience. Rodriguez become cut underneath his left eye Saturday night time, however in order to heal speedily. Emmett took extra damage in a win over Calvin Kattar on June 18, although the ones have been added especially superficial cuts and bruises.
Volkanovski has also mentioned shifting as much as lightweight and hard for that title. One would believe that needs to be placed on the returned burner now due to the thumb damage and the booking of Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev for the vacant light-weight identify at UFC 280 in October. It appears realistic that there may be an intervening time featherweight name fight between Rodriguez and Emmett earlier than the cease of the year, with Volkanovski preventing the winner early in 2023 to unify the belts.
Potentially, former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who is popping out of retirement, can be in the blend, too. But it appears the UFC could pick Cejudo at bantamweight, no longer featherweight, upon his return.
Hopefully, Ortega could make a full restoration as soon as viable, due to the fact he did deserve higher Saturday night time. No one knows what could have taken place if the fight had endured. Ortega is one of the maximum resilient warring parties inside the UFC, and the competition changed into a total tossup before it ended unexpectedly. If there’s any manner to do Rodriguez vs. Ortega 2 down the street, the UFC has to make it take place. And if it does, let’s hope that the site for that matchup makes a greater experience geographically. Rodriguez is Mexican and Ortega is a first-technology Mexican American. Long Island made no sense for that bout, whilst it very well ought to have taken place someplace in Southern California or the Southwest in front of thousands of avid enthusiasts.
