Brian Ortega-Yair Rodriguez featherweight bout to headline UFC Long Island on July 16

A featherweight affair will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to New York. On Thursday, UFC officials confirmed that former 145-pound title challenger Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez would collide in the main event of an upcoming UFC Fight Night event on July 16. The news also implied that the Nevada-based promotion would soon leave the UFC Apex for its Fight Night series as the upcoming event will go down at the UBS Arena in Long Island.

Ortega (15-2, 1 NC; 7-2, 1 NC UFC) is looking to bounce back after dropping a decision to Alexander Volkanovski in their championship affair at UFC 266. It was the second time “T-City” lost a title fight after suffering a fourth-round stoppage at the hands of Max Holloway at UFC 231. In between, Ortega upended Chan Sung Jung in the UFC Fight Night 180 main event.

In his most recent assignment, Rodriguez (13-3, 1 NC; 8-2, 1 NC UFC) conceded a decision victory to Holloway in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner. On that occasion, “El Pantera” made his Octagon return following a two-year hiatus. The Valle Flow Striking standout’s latest victory dates back to October 2019, when he outpointed Jeremy Stephens on all scorecards at UFC on ESPN 6.