Brian Ortega On His Fight With Yair Rodriguez: “Everything Was Going My Way”

On Saturday, Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez headlined UFC Long Island in a very intriguing and crucial fight for the featherweight division. Though the bout ended rather early due to injury to Ortega, “T-City” thought he was doing well against Rodriguez prior to his shoulder popping out

With a likely title shot on the line, the fight was back-and-forth early on. Right, when Ortega got the fight to the ground, his shoulder popped out and the fight was over – an extremely disappointing ending for Ortega.

“Freak Accident” Ends Brian Ortega vs Yair Rodriguez Fight

“[Rodriguez’s] grip was tight on my arm and it dislocated, and that was it,” Ortega said Saturday on the UFC Long Island post-fight show. “Like, no armlock, no nothing, but it just dislocated. Freak accident, and it just sucks. It’s the first time it’s ever happened in my entire career. That was the first time it’s ever happened and now I’m kind of like taken aback by it. I can’t believe this is what’s going on right now.”

Not the way he wanted, but @PanteraUFC was prepared for the win.

🗣 Hear from him inside the Octagon. #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/gV3Uy3guph

— UFC (@ufc) July 17, 2022

“Everything was going my way,” he continued. “Literally, I was winning every minute of the fight. I was sticking to the game plan, because I do get emotional. For one second we started hitting, we started throwing, and I was like, ‘Alright, let’s start throwing,’ and I go, ‘No, let’s just stick to the game plan.’ And the world saw — I was about to show what I do best, which is grapple and take control. And the second we hit the ground, it just, my freaking arm just f****** came out. And I’ve got no words, man. I don’t know.”

Does Brian Ortega Need Surgery?

Ortega could need surgery and if that is the case he will be off for quite some time. But, once he is healthy, he has made it known he wants to run it back with Rodriguez as the fight didn’t have a true ending.

“I would love to do it again,” Ortega said of a second Rodriguez fight. “I feel like we left the world with blue balls. We didn’t get to finish what I wanted to do, you know? Had he got up, had we scrambled, had we banged it out — I was ready in my mind to have a dogfight. I was ready to go in there and just impose my will, and I can’t do it with just one arm. If he said he’s willing to run it back, I definitely want to get it back.”

“I’m going to go MRI this as soon as I can,” he said, addressing his injury, “do what I have to do. I pray to God that I don’t have to get surgery. I already had two shoulder surgeries as it is, so I’m praying that I don’t have to go in under that knife again because it just sucks when you have to get surgery. The second I’m physically healthy to do it, let’s do it. I want to get back in. I’m not trying to take any [time] off. I’m upset, but trying to smile just to not — I put in way too much work, you know? I sacrifice everything just for something stupid like this to happen.”