Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez officially booked for UFC Long Island main event

Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez has finally been booked.

After months of talks that the UFC was targeting the featherweight fight, the promotion announced on Twitter on Thursday that Ortega vs. Rodriguez is set to headline a Fight Night card on July 16. The event will also take place at the UBS Arena on Long Island.

Brian Ortega (15-2 and one No Contest) is coming off a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 for the featherweight strap. To earn the title shot he beat Korean Zombie by decision after a layoff due to injuries. Before the injuries, Ortega suffered a TKO loss to Max Holloway for the belt. ‘T-City’ is ranked second at featherweight and holds notable wins over Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and Clay Guida among others.

Yair Rodriguez (13-3 and one No Contest) is coming off a competitive decision loss to Max Holloway in November. The fight marked his return to the sport from October of 2019, where he defeated Jeremy Stephens by decision. He’s currently ranked third in the featherweight division and in his career, he holds wins over Korean Zombie, BJ Penn, Alex Caceres, Andre Fili, and Dan Hooker among others.

With Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway having their trilogy match on July 2 at UFC 276, the winner of Ortega-Rodriguez could very well earn the next title shot, so the stakes will be high for this scrap.

With Ortega vs. Rodriguez being announced as the main event, UFC Long Island is as follows:

• Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez
• Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Da Un Jung
• Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Lemos
• Herbert Burns vs. Khusein Askhabov
• Jessica Penne vs. Brianna Fortino
• Punahele Soriano vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
• Ricky Simon vs. Jack Shore
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Bill Algeo
• Li Jingliang vs. Muslim Salikhov

Who do you think will win the UFC Long Island main event, Brian Ortega or Yair Rodriguez?