Preview: UFC Fight Night 237 ‘Moreno vs. Royval 2’

Featherweights

#3 FW | Yair Rodriguez (19-4, 10-3 UFC) vs. #4 FW | Brian Ortega (15-3, 7-3 UFC)

ODDS: Rodriguez (-166), Ortega (+140)

Much like the main event, this five-round co-headliner is a rematch that revisits an intriguing fight that ended much too soon. Ortega is in an interesting spot at the moment, particularly as a potential title contender. “T-City” has accomplished little against the current crop of top featherweights but also has done little to shake his reputation as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Ortega’s rise through the featherweight ranks was impressive in just how unorthodox it was. Armed with little but his elite grappling, Ortega went undefeated in his first seven UFC fights but might not have won a single round up until the point that he scored a finish. Ortega got absolutely shellacked in his 2018 title challenge against Max Holloway, after which he became a bit of a forgotten man thanks to a two-year injury layoff. When Ortega returned for a grudge match against Chan Sung Jung, he looked unrecognizable, owing both to a newly shaved head and the development of an effective striking game, as he stayed patient and picked away at “The Korean Zombie” for a clear decision win. It was enough of a statement that Ortega immediately became top contender to then-champ Alexander Volkanovski, but that yielded yet another one-sided loss in a title fight, even though he did manage to clamp on a guillotine choke at one point that would have finished most mortal men. Ortega’s next fight was a July 2022 pairing against Rodriguez that matched up two of the most potent finishers in the sport, and it was a fascinating fight for about four minutes. Rodriguez was clearly the more effective striker until the point that Ortega was able to bully him against the cage. A Rodriguez armbar attempt injured the Californian’s shoulder, sending the fight to a premature end. Ortega now gets the chance to pick up where he left off 19 months later.

As for Rodriguez, while the win over Ortega came in disappointing fashion, it did have the intended effect of serving as the Mexican’s long-awaited launching pad into title contention. Not much was expected of “El Pantera” and his castmates on “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” back in 2014, but many of them overachieved, with Rodriguez sticking out as the most obvious potential star. Rodriguez’s rise through the ranks was absolutely electric, owing to his elite athleticism and stunning level of creativity, as he chained together techniques most fighters would not even consider. Things went south with Rodriguez’s 2017 bout against Frankie Edgar. Rodriguez’s game proved no match for Edgar’s crushing wrestling approach, and the next year and change were marked by his suffering injuries and clashing with the UFC, to the point that he was seemingly done with the promotion in 2018. Fences were eventually mended, and after Rodriguez scored yet another amazingly dynamic knockout—this time via no-look elbow against Jung—the UFC pivoted right back to making him a potential Mexican star. After some more injury issues and a game loss to Holloway, Rodriguez got back on track with that win over Ortega, which set up an interim title fight against Josh Emmett early in 2023. In a career full of impressive performances, the beating Rodriguez laid on Emmett might have been his best. However, his success only set him up for a disappointingly one-sided title challenge against Volkanovski. As for this attempted rebound, this fight is just as baffling as it was in 2022 in the best sense possible. There is a feeling that anything can happen, buoyed by Ortega returning from such a long injury layoff. Rodriguez, as he does against most opponents, separated himself as the much faster and more dynamic threat on the feet in their first fight, but Ortega was successfully able to turn their fight into a grind right before things went sour. While Rodriguez is quite electric on the mat, it is unclear if he can stay ahead of a submission wizard at Ortega’s level. There are a few factors that give Rodriguez the narrow edge. Beyond the injury layoff, Rodriguez has shown an inhuman gas tank at times in the past, which figures to play even more of a factor at elevation in Mexico City. While Ortega’s climb was impressive, there is a question if his game can hold up to a winning level against a more modern pace. Looking back at Ortega’s record, there is a distinct thread of him getting opponents just as they were at the end of their primes. Again, the main takeaway is that everything is on the table. The pick is Rodriguez via decision.

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Moreno vs. Royval
Rodriguez vs. Ortega
Zellhuber vs. Prado
Rosas Jr. vs. Turcios
Jauregui vs. Hughes
Torres vs. Duncan
The Prelims