Christian Rodriguez Submits Hyder Amil in First Round at UFC Vegas 119

Christian Rodriguez defeated Hyder Amil by first-round submission at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday night. Rodriguez dropped Amil with a shin-to-chin head kick, then applied a guillotine choke that rendered Amil unconscious. Rodriguez credited the finish to techniques taught by his late coach Duke Roufus.

"My coach who passed away in October, his name was Duke Roufus, he was a kickboxing legend," Rodriguez told the UFC in his post-fight interview. "He was known for head kicks… When people kind of start defending like a boxer, the head kick will always be there. It's something that he passed on to me, and I still have that knowledge.

So, that's something we capitalized on," Rodriguez said. After his death, Rodriguez moved his training camp to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas under head coach Eric Nicksick.

Rodriguez had been on a 10-month layoff before the fight. He said the break helped him rediscover his passion for competition. "I missed the sport so much; it's been a long 10 months," Rodriguez said.

"But I feel like the time away definitely made me into a different person. " The win stopped a two-fight losing streak for Rodriguez, the only time he had dropped consecutive bouts in his 17-fight career. Rodriguez improved his record to 13-4 with the victory, while Amil's record fell to 11-3.

Rodriguez told reporters he plans to stay active after the extended layoff.