Yair Rodriguez left no question who was the better fight Saturday at UFC 314.
Over the course of three rounds, Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) proved to be an unsolvable puzzle for debuting Bellator legend Patricio Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who he defeated by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Both fighters were patient in Round 1, but the fight took place at Rodriguez's ideal distance. "Pitbull" did not open up much, though he seemed relatively comfortable – slapping the areas of his body Rodriguez hit after each strike.
In Round 2, "Pitbull" opened up a bit more and found success with his grappling but was unable to do much with it.
Round 3 was when "Pitbull" got the most aggressive, but after a few successful strikes was almost immediately put on the canvas by a Rodriguez punch.
"Pitbull" survived the onslaught from Rodriguez and threatened an armbar in the final minute that had the crowd buzzing. However, Rodriguez evaded danger as the two scrambled to their feet seconds prior to the bell.
After the fight, Rodriguez said in his in-cage interview with Joe Rogan that UFC CBO Hunter Campbell had promised him a title shot with a victory. He called for that shot at UFC 318 in September in Guadalajara, Mexico.
YAIR RODRIGUEZ WANTS IT 💥 #UFC314pic.twitter.com/dUU1OHZkn0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2025
With the win, Rodriguez snapped a two-fight skid that included losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Saturday's fight was his first competition since February 2024.
In defeat, "Pitbull" drops his first post-Bellator/PFL fight. The consensus Bellator GOAT, "Pitbull" expressed displeasure with the new promotional regime after Bellator and PFL merged. He competed once for PFL before he publicly asked for – and was granted – his release. He is now 1-3 in his most recent four.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 314 results include:
- Yair Rodriguez def. Patricio Freire via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jean Silva def. Bryce Mitchell via submission (ninja choke) – Round 2, 3:52
- Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:24
- Dan Ige def. Sean Woodson via TKO (punches) – Round 3,
- Virna Jandiroba def. Yan Xiaonan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Chase Hooper def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Julian Erosa def. Darren Elkins via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:15
- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Sedriques Dumas via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:49
- Su Mudaerji def. Mitch Raposo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Marco Tulio def. Tresean Gore via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:16
- Nora Cornolle def. Hailey Cowan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:52
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 314 results: Yair Rodriguez spoils debut of ex-Bellator dual champion Patricio 'Pitbull'
