Should Yair Rodriguez get cut? Analyzing his last six years with the UFC

Yair Rodriguez just can't seem to catch a break. This time, he has pulled out of Noche UFC 4, which he was supposed to headline against Jean Silva. At 33 years old, following yet another disappointment that has slowed his momentum, where does 'El Pantera' go from here? Does the UFC keep him or cut their losses?

Yair Rodriguez: Dynamic or disappointing?

Few fighters can astonish fans quite like Yair Rodriguez. He's a flashy striker who entered the UFC on an impressive win streak and wasted no time demonstrating a dynamic array of finishes. However, there are several issues that have plagued him for years. The first is how selective Rodriguez can be with the fights he accepts. He's so selective, in fact, that back in 2018, he was briefly released from the UFC after turning down two fights. While he was ultimately welcomed back, he still pulled out of a UFC 228 bout with Zabit Magomedsharipov that year due to injury. He later faced Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night 139, where he won via TKO in round five.

He would only fight again nearly a year later at UFC Fight Night 159, where he took on Jeremy Stephens in a matchup that ended after just 15 seconds due to an accidental Rodriguez eye poke that left Stephens unable to continue, leading to a no-contest. The two men later had a rematch at UFC on ESPN 6, where Rodriguez won via unanimous decision. Besides being picky with fights, Rodriguez's other issues revolve around how often he pulls out of fights and his general inactivity, both of which have frustrated fans. Between late 2019 and late 2021, Rodriguez did not fight at all. He was completely absent from 2020, despite the UFC's best attempts to book him into high-profile bouts.

That year, the UFC tried to schedule another fight between him and Magomedsharipov at UFC Fight Night 175. However, the fight fell through after Rodriguez withdrew after suffering an ankle injury. His circumstances only worsened after he was handed a six-month suspension by USADA after he failed to notify them of his location for an anti-doping test. He eventually returned in 2021 against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 197, losing via unanimous decision. Then in 2022, he defeated Brian Ortega via first-round TKO at UFC on ABC 3 due to a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, he continued to be relatively inactive and didn't fight again until 2023, when he submitted Josh Emmett in round two for the interim featherweight title at UFC 284.

It was one of the few years in which Rodriguez fought more than once, as he next faced Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 to unify the belts. The bout went about as horribly as it could have gone for him, as he was TKO'd in round three. Next year, he was submitted by Ortega in round three in a rematch at UFC Fight Night 237. Despite the fight taking place in early 2024, Rodriguez only returned in 2025. At first, there were reports of him fighting Diego Lopes at UFC on ESPN 64, but the matchup never took place. Instead, he fought Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire at UFC 314, defeating him via unanimous decision.

Also, the pre-fight press conference led to an explosive back-and-forth between Rodriguez and Lopes, but after UFC 314, Rodriguez was dismissive of a potential fight with Lopes, claiming that the matchup did nothing to advance his position in the featherweight rankings and that he'd rather fight him in a street fight unless the UFC paid him more. Then in classic Rodriguez fashion, he was scheduled for a bout a year later, taking on Jean Silva at Noche UFC 4, only to pull out of the fight due to yet another injury. So, he's had an anti-doping controversy, competed in just six fights since 2020, is 3-3 in those six fights, and has either withdrawn from or turned down several other fights.

With his 34th birthday in October, and having just pulled out of a Noche UFC 4 headliner meant to commemorate Mexican Independence Day, is he still worth the hassle? The Meta UFC rankings don't even have him ranked at featherweight, so the writing may be on the wall.