Yair Rodriguez claimed the interim featherweight championship with a second-round submission win over Josh Emmett in the co-main event of UFC 284 from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

After an exciting back-and-forth first round Rodriguez finished things off with a triangle choke to earn the belt.

The two 145-pounders set a frenetic pace from the beginning. Rodriguez scored early with body kicks that opened up opportunities for punches. But Emmett slowed Rodriguez down with some counterpunches of his own in a back-and-forth opening round.

Rodriguez really started to shine in the second frame. He took a commanding lead with his controlled aggression and diverse array of kicks and strikes in the stand-up. However, Emmett did swing the momentum in his favor with a takedown.

As it turns out, that positive momentum was negated quickly when Rodriguez caught the triangle choke that ended the fight.

The win is a crowning achievement of a career that has taken several twists and turns on its way to this moment. Rodriguez has always shown potential in the cage, but he dealt with injuries and a six-month suspension because of a whereabouts violation that led to him not fighting for the entirety of 2020 and most of 2021.

However, he has made up for that lost time. Since the extended layoff he put on a great fight in a losing effort against Max Holloway and picked up a win against Brian Ortega before winning the interim title against Emmett.

Now will come the question of whether or not Rodriguez will complete the mission and become the undisputed champion of the division. The interim title was created because Alexander Volkanovski is attempting to become a two-division champion in the UFC 284 main event against Islam Makhachev.

That can cast some doubt on whether the champion will return to featherweight. The Great has said he will defend both belts if he happens to beat Makhachev. However, Rodriguez is fine considering himself the legitimate champion if Volkanovski walks away from the division.

"I don't want to be disrespectful and say there is no true belt or whatever, it's just what it is. If I get to fight for the actual belt then that will be the belt. If the actual champion decides not to come back to 145 pounds, then the champion of the division is whoever has the interim belt," he said, per Farah Hannoun and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

Given Volkanovski's 5'6" frame and his natural fit as a featherweight, it's hard to envision a scenario where he is really done at 145 pounds.

Rodriguez is likely headed toward a showdown with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport to unify the belts.