Tag Archives: Josh Emmett

Yair Rodriguez to Face Alexander Volkanovski in Featherweight Title Unification Bout at UFC 290

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Yair Rodriguez has lined up his next opponent…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist, interim champion, has verbally agreed to fight featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 on July 8, according to multiple sources.

Yair Rodriguez,The UFC is targeting the featherweight title unification bout as part of its annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

Contracts have not yet been issued or signed.

The 145-pound fight could serve as the pay-per-view headliner, although the UFC has not yet made that official.

Volkanovski (25-2) is coming off a failed bid to become a two-weight champion in February. The Australian moved up to 155 pounds at UFC 284 and lost a unanimous decision to lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski and his team have been campaigning for an immediate rematch against Makhachev, as the five-round fight was extremely competitive. In the absence of an immediate rematch, however, Volkanovski wishes to stay active and defend his title.

ESPN ranks Volkanovski as tied for the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with Makhachev.

Rodriguez (15-3), of Chihuahua, Mexico, won the interim title by submitting Josh Emmett in February. That fight also took place on the UFC 284 card in Perth, Australia.

Rodriguez is 4-1 in his past five official bouts, with the only loss coming to former champion Max Holloway.

Yair Rodriguez Defeats Josh Emmett to Become UFC’s Interim Featherweight Champion

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Yair Rodriguez is officially a titleholder…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist is the UFC‘s interim featherweight champion following a masterful finish over Josh Emmett at UFC 284.

Yair RodriguezRodriguez (15-3) submitted Emmett via triangle choke at 4 minutes, 19 seconds of the second round. The 145-pound bout co-headlined UFC 284, which took place on Sunday morning local time at RAC Arena.

The UFC created an interim title because defending champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) moved up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Volkanovski came up just short in his bid in the main event of UFC 284, losing to Makhachev by unanimous decision.

Rodriguez went into the fight as a favorite, but Emmett (18-3) had him in trouble early. Emmett, a Sacramento-based fighter, hurt Rodriguez in the opening round with a right hand, which Rodriguez later admitted nearly put him out. Emmett used the shot to get into top position and cause more damage.

Rodriguez regrouped in the second round, however, and started hurting Emmett badly to the body with kicks. Emmett was clearly affected by the shots and started to turn into an easier target for Rodriguez’s versatile offense. He hurt him moments later with an elbow along the fence.

Emmett managed to get Rodriguez to the ground a little later in the round, but Rodriguez stayed active and caught the triangle off his back.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez becomes the second Mexican-born champion in UFC history.

The first, Brandon Moreno, is a two-time flyweight champion who just reclaimed his belt with a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo last month.

Volkanovski, of Australia, will likely look to unify his title against Rodriguez in their next appearances.

Yair Rodriguez to Fight Josh Emmett for Interim UFC Featherweight Title

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Yair Rodriguez is headed Down Under…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist will fight Josh Emmett for the interim UFC featherweight title in the co-main event of the February 11 card in Perth, Australia, according to the UFC.

Yair RodriguezThe UFC is making an interim title, because undisputed champion Alexander Volkanovski will move up to lightweight and challenge champion Islam Makhachev for that title in the UFC 284 headliner.

ESPN has Rodriguez ranked No. 4 in the world at featherweight, and Emmett is ranked No. 7.

Rodriguez (14-3, 1 NC) is coming off a victory over Brian Ortega at UFC Long Island in July. The Mexican-born striker has just one loss in his past five fights.

Emmett (18-2) has won five straight. The 37-year-old California resident is coming off a split decision win over Calvin Kattar in June.

Edson Barboza Agrees to New Deal with UFC, Sets Fight Against Shane Burgos

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Edson Barboza is staying put in the UFC, and he’s lining up his next opponent…

The 35-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer, a UFC featherweight, has agreed to battle Shane Burgos  in May, according to their teams.

Edson Barboza

The 145-pound bout will take place at UFC 262 on May 15. The UFC hasn’t announced an official venue for the pay-per-view event.

In addition to the bout, Barboza (21-9) has signed a new deal with the UFC. The Brazilian fighter had expressed interest in testing free agency in 2021 but ultimately elected to sign an extension with the promotion he has fought for since 2010.

“We’ve renewed with the UFC, with the understanding Edson wants to be extremely active,” Barboza’s manager Alex Davis told ESPN. “We believe Edson has a good chance to be a contender at featherweight. All the conditions are there now. It’s up to the UFC to give him fights that make sense, and it’s up to Edson to win those fights.”

Burgos (13-2), of New York, shared his excitement on the matchup.

“This is the one,” Burgos told ESPN. “I only want big fights, and this one feels huge. Everyone knows Edson. I’ve been watching him fight in the UFC since I was fighting amateur. I plan on making the absolute most out of this opportunity.”

Burgos is coming off a decision loss to ranked contender Josh Emmett in June, which was his only appearance of 2020. Before that setback, the 29-year-old had won three in a row.

Ricardo Lamas to Face Ryan Hall in UFC Fight Night Next Month

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Ricardo Lamas headed back to the Octagon…

The featherweight bout between the 38-year-old Mexican and Cuban American mixed martial artist and former UFC title challenger and Ryan Hall has been rebooked for a UFC Fight Night event on August 29, according to ESPN.

Ricardo Lamas

The 145-pound contest was originally scheduled to take place in May in Oklahoma City, but the event was scrapped because of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The UFC has since picked up a consistent schedule, hosting six events in six weeks at its Apex facility in Las Vegas. The promotion is preparing to host four events this month at “Fight Island,” in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Lamas (19-8) has lost three of his past four contests, but all three of the losses were to highly ranked opposition in Calvin Kattar, Mirsad Bektic and Josh Emmett. He fought Jose Aldo for the UFC championship in 2014, and also has faced the likes of Max Holloway, Chad Mendes and Charles Oliveira over the course of his career.

Hall (8-1), of Falls Church, Virginia, has fought only four times since making his UFC debut in 2015. The submission specialist has had difficulty booking opponents at times, but holds wins against former lightweight champion B.J. Penn and title challenger Gray Maynard. He is 4-0 inside the Octagon.