UFC announces ABC will air Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez main card

UFC fights are returning to ABC this summer.

The promotion on Wednesday announced that the previously revealed featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguezwill serve as the headliner for UFC on ABC 3 on July 16 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ESPN+, with prelims set to begin at noon ET and air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.

This marks the third time that the UFC will be televised on ABC. UFC on ABC 1 took place in January 2021 and was headlined by Max Holloway’s masterclass against Calvin Kattar. Just a few months later in April, UFC on ABC 2 featured a main event between Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland, which Vettori won by unanimous decision.

UFC on ABC 3 will be a big spot for both Ortega (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

Ortega is fighting for the first time since a failed title bid against champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 in September. The bout was spirited throughout, but Ortega absorbed a heavy amount of damage. Volkanovski ultimately won via unanimous decision. The loss was Ortega’s second in three fights and his second unsuccessful UFC title challenge.

Rodriguez returns for only the second time since late 2019. While he lost a November main event to Holloway by unanimous decision, the bout was competitive and considered one of the best of 2021. Rodriguez is 2-1 with a no contest over his past four fights.

The card marks the promotion’s first on Long Island since UFC on FOX 25 in June 2017. The main event saw Chris Weidman defeat Kelvin Gastelum by submission at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The current UFC on ABC 3 lineup includes:

• Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez
• Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez
• Jack Shore vs. Ricky Simon
• Amanda Lemos vs. Michelle Waterson
• Bill Algeo vs. Billy Quarantillo
• Li Jingliang vs. Muslim Salikhov
• Matt Schnell vs. Su Mudaerji
• Dwight Grant vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• Khusein Askhabov vs. Herbert Burns
• Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Puna Soriano
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Da-un Jung