Rodriguez spoils Pitbull's UFC debut with decision win

Yair Rodriguez spoiled Patricio "Pitbull" Freire's long-awaited UFC debut, defeating the former Bellator two-division champion via unanimous decision at UFC 314 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center in Miami.

All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in Rodriguez's favor.

Rodriguez, a former UFC interim featherweight champ, had his way with Freire from the start. He scored one knockdown, dropping the Brazilian with a straight right in the third round before pummelling him with ground-and-pound. Rodriguez topped Freire 70-17 in significant strikes.

After the impressive performance, Rodriguez said he wants to challenge the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes for the featherweight title at UFC 320 on Sept. 13 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"I want to fight for the title there," Rodriguez said. "Whoever wins tonight, I want to fight that guy in Mexico."

Rodriguez used his reach advantage to keep Freire at a distance and pick him apart. Rodriguez landed several kicks - including a heavy one to Freire's head - and won most of the exchanges.

Freire attempted an armbar late in the third, but Rodriguez escaped the submission.

With the victory, Rodriguez snapped a two-fight losing streak. This was the 32-year-old's first win since submitting Josh Emmett to claim the interim title in February 2023.

Freire, who was coming off a TKO win over former UFC fighter Jeremy Kennedy in a Bellator featherweight title defense in March 2024, is now 1-3 in his past four outings. Freire, 37, was widely considered one of the top fighters to never compete in the UFC before leaving the PFL and signing with the promotion earlier this year.