Yair Rodriguez has built an immaculate reputation as one of the most entertaining featherweight fighters of all time
Dynamic Kickboxer Yair Rodriguez Captured Fans Attention Time and Time Again
Since making his UFC debut in 2014, Yair Rodriguez has consistently recorded impressive Octagon outings that have made him must-watch TV for fight fans around the world, earning him nine bonuses.
With his energetic and unorthodox style, “El Pantera” has been a fixture of the featherweight top 10 for over seven years, earning notable wins over BJ Penn, The Korean Zombie, Josh Emmett and Brian Ortega. Although he has fallen on hard times in recent years, the former 145-lb interim champion still has not lost his luster as arguably the most electrifying competitor in the division.
Here are three of the best performances of Yair Rodriguez’s UFC tenure
Yair Rodriguez vs. Max Holloway: UFC Vegas 42
Ending 2019 on a high note with a Fight of the Night-earning unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens, Rodriguez was initially pegged to take on rising Russian striker Zabit Magomedsharipov, but an ankle injury saw that contest completely scrapped. In fact, Rodriguez would sit out for the entirety of 2020, as the Mexican was handed a six-month suspension by USADA for not notifying the organization of his whereabouts.
His return was again halted after a slated matchup with Max Holloway was moved from July 2021 to that November after the Hawaiian also picked an injury and was forced out. Finally taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Rodriguez came to blows against one of the best fighters the featherweight class had ever seen.
Holloway Provides Tough Test For Yair Rodriguez
Previously losing twice to then reigning 145-lb champion Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway had rebounded in monumental fashion by delivering the showing of a lifetime in his contest with Calvin Kattar at UFC on ABC 1. From start to finish, Holloway battered Kattar with an immense volume of punches, landing over 400 strikes on the Massachusetts native, leaving him a bloody mess by the time the final horn sounded.
Stepping into the cage with arguably the most experienced foe he has ever crossed paths with, Rodriguez found difficulty in dealing with the sheer amount of punches being sent his way by the former champion. He also was being out-grappled by the predominantly boxing-heavy Holloway, although he did manage to avoid the lone submission attempt from “Blessed” and rack up his own bit of control time.’
It was in the fifth round that the Mexican found his mark and cut Holloway right above the eye with a spinning elbow in the clinch, causing a stream of blood to run down his face. While he unanimously took the last stanza on all three judge’s scorecards, it was Holloway who walked away with the unanimous decision win.
Despite coming off a two-year hiatus and falling short of what would have been a surefire title shot, Yair Rodriguez still went the distance with a once three-time defending champion in Holloway. Not only that, he was also able to throw nearly as many strikes as him, netting 383 total compared to Holloway’s 434, making the Hawaiian bleed far more than any of his past adversaries.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett: UFC 284
Following the Holloway defeat, Yair Rodriguez returned to action later on in 2022, battling then two-time UFC title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC on ABC 3. Being forced up against the cage wall towards the end of the first round, “El Pantera” was brought down onto his back after a perfect hip throw from Ortega.
However, as “T-City” began to work inside Rodriguez’s guard, the Californian’s right shoulder wound up getting injured after trying to escape an armbar, leading to Rodriguez getting the TKO victory. Though the outcome of the fight wasn’t the most definitive, it did open the door for a high-profile scrap the next year at UFC 284 against Josh Emmett.
In the wake of Islam Makhachev’s championship-winning performance over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, then featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski opted to move up in weight to challenge for the Russian’s newly-earned strap. The pairing was a bona fide superfight, but it would have possibly left the Aussie’s division stagnant while he recovered from the bout. This prompted the UFC to book both Rodriguez and Emmett in a bid for the interim 145-lb belt in the co-main event at UFC 284.
On something of a tear himself in the division, Emmett was then in the midst of a stellar five-fight winning streak. What’s more, he also had only lost just one match since returning to the weight class in 2017, going 7-1 on his warpath toward the biggest night of his career.
Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett Trade Barbs
Right away, the Mexican kept a distance from Emmett, presumably wary of his notable punching power, moving side to side and pelting him with long range kicks and punches. Near the halfway point of the first round, Rodriguez landed a thudding body kick to the American, causing him to immediately back away. After taking a couple of seconds to recover from the blow, Emmett continued his forward assault, managing to catch Rodriguez with a right hook before tossing him to the canvas. Controlling him for the rest of the stanza, and letting loose a fair amount of ground-and-pound, Emmett would finish the round on the top before walking back to his corner.
While he may have been on the defensive in the first five minutes of the contest, Rodriguez surprisingly went on the attack in the second, willingly engaging the stronger Emmett on the feet. His bravery prevailed, as he ended up pushing back his adversary with more strikes to the body and face.
Yair Rodriguez Locks Up Submission, Secures Championship
Noticeably beginning to tire, Emmett’s punches became more and more labored as the round wore on, but as Rodriguez came at him with a flying knee, the former college wrestler caught him and drug him to the ground. Looking to be in a great position, Emmett worked to get himself back on the board on the cards, but a masterfully executed triangle choke from Rodriguez proved to be too much for him and forced the tap, making Rodriguez the new interim champion.
By securing the submission, Rodriguez had not only won his first piece of promotional gold, he had also cemented his place in the combat sports history books as the second Mexican-born UFC title holder. The Performance of the Night-snagging masterclass granted Rodriguez a shot at the undisputed crown later that summer at UFC 290, where he took on the then incumbent Alexander Volkanovski, losing by third round knockout.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Korean Zombie: UFC Denver
After capturing the The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America trophy at UFC 180, a 22-year old Yair Rodriguez proceeded to take the company’s 145-lb class by storm. Rattling off five victories in a row, “El Pantera” announced himself as a surging contender by collecting the scalps over stern opposition like Dan Hooker, Andre Fili and previous two-division king B.J. Penn.
Then, at UFC 211, his hype train was emphatically derailed by the veteran Frankie Edgar, who schooled the young phenom with hellacious ground strikes that eventually forced a doctor stoppage. Seeking to rebound in a big way, Rodriguez locked horns with another famed featherweight competitor in Jung Chan-sung, meeting fabled “Korean Zombie” at UFC Fight Night 139 in 2018.
Taking a more than three-year layoff from the sport due to having to perform mandatory military service, Jung made his comeback by thrillingly starching Dennis Bermudez in less than three minutes. Before his forceful break from the sport, he had built up a solid reputation as a fan-favorite by spectacularly finishing his first three UFC opponents, such as a young Dustin Poirier.
Yair Rodriguez Digs Deep for Stunning Knockout As Clock Expires
Engaging in what can only be described as an all-time classic in mixed martial arts, both combatants engaged in a captivating five-round war, battering each other for the better part of 25 minutes. However, it was Jung who seemed to hold the edge in the stand up, as well as in the grappling department due to his faster hand speed and aggression.
By the time of the fifth stanza, “The Korean Zombie” was leading on the scorecards in two of the judges eyes with three rounds in the bag. In one of the most electrifying reversals of all time, though, Yair Rodriguez would steal the victory with a come-from-behind knockout by ducking down and hitting a charging Jung with his elbow to score the stoppage at the literal last second.
Lighting the world on fire instantaneously with his mind-boggling finish, Yair Rodriguez not only got back into the win column, he also managed to write himself into legend by logging the latest knockout in UFC history regardless of division. He also went on to take home several awards for his performance, including Sherdog.com, MMA Fighting and MMAJunkie.com’s Knockout of the Year for 2018.
