Rani Yahya picks up 21st career submission, UFC-WEC bantamweight finishes record

Rani Yahya is still proving how effective jiu-jitsu is almost two decades after making his professional MMA debut.

The 36-year-old bantamweight submitted Ray Rodriguez on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 187 in Las Vegas. Yahya (27-10-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) finished Rodriguez with an arm-triangle choke in the second round.

It was a dominant performance by Yahya, as he took down Rodriguez early in the first round and constantly worked to secure a submission. The second was no different, but this time the Brazilian was able to lock up an arm-triangle for the win.

This was Yahya’s 21st submission win of his career. He also now holds the record for most finishes at bantamweight in combined UFC and WEC history, surpassing T.J. Dillashaw, Urijah Faber, Marlon Vera, and Eddie Wineland who all have eight. The submission was Yahya’s first win since 2018, as he entered UFC Fight Night 187 with a draw and defeat in his prior two outings.

Below you can watch Yahya’s latest submission win (via Twitter):

SUBMISSION: TWENTY ONE

You cannot make mistakes vs @RaniYahyaMMA!

[ #UFCVegas21 continues on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/d5gWUP0FxH

— UFC (@ufc) March 13, 2021