One of the most successful hunters outside the UFC looked to shake things up at 145 pounds in Miami.
The Feedweight Division could be seen on 12 April with various important attacks that took place at the top of the Division at UFC 314.
After the controversial victory of Dan Ige on Sean Woodson, on the main map, former Bellator -star Patricio Pitbull was set to make his UFC debut against the former interim champion, Yair Rodriguez.
There was tension between Pitbull and Rodriguez in the structure of the fight with the Brazilian who claimed that his opponent had deposited the match for the first time.
After he had not won a fight since 2023, there was a lot of pressure on 'El Pantera' when the new arrival would take its place in the top five rankings.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Yair Rodriguez dominated Patricio Pitbull for three rounds to spoil his UFC debut
Yair Rodriguez returned to the win column with one of his most impressive versions in the Octagon so far.
The fight played out as many had expected that the former interim champion was looking for his reach and kicking to keep his opponent on the outside.
'El Pantera' was very successful with this approach during the first two rounds with Patricio Pitbull who struggled to close the gap on Rodriguez outside of a few strikes and gripping fairs.
The debuting Brazilian needed a big third round to make the fight more competitive, but it was much more of the same in the last stanza.
Rodriguez landed the biggest shot of the fight in the third to drop pit bull before he landed a number of huge strikes from the top to really put a stamp on a dominant version of the Mexican.
At the age of 37, Pitbull did not seem to have an answer to the incredibly unique and difficult style of Rodriguez that continues to improve after more than ten years in the UFC.
As expected, Rodriguez took the fight through a unanimous decision with scorecards of 30-27 across the board, so that he set up even bigger things next time.
Fight fans showered the dynamic striker with glowing praise before the division awarded a new champion later in the night.
“Yair Rodriguez looks like a possible next champion,” wrote a user with many who called his performance a flawless display. “Yair Rodriguez with a master class version tonight.”
Yair Rodriguez claims that he has been promised a title shot of featherweight
Yair Rodriguez stated in his interview after the fight that Hunter Campbell had told him that a victory would give him a shot at the featherweight title.
The reaction of Vecht fans to social media was not all positive despite his impressive performance because it has been his first victory since 2023, not to mention other deserving contenders such as Movsar Evloev.
Rodriguez who gets the shot would be very logical for UFC Noche in Guadalajara in September, especially if it means that the feud with Diego Lopes is arranged, but the Brazilian has already stated that a rematch with Evloev would be his priority as a champion.
Rodriguez is incredibly entertaining, but it seems that, despite what he was told, he needs back-to-back victories to get another chance at UFC Gold.
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