Rising UFC star Yair Rodriguez shines bright in destruction of BJ Penn
PHOENIX — Rising featherweight star Yair Rodriguez believes more than 250 people made the nearly 13-hour drive from his hometown of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico to watch him fight UFC legend BJ Penn on Sunday night.
They were rewarded with another outstanding performance from their local hero.
Rodriguez battered Penn, who came out of retirement for the fight, before finally putting an end to his night — and perhaps his career once and for all — just 24 seconds into the second round of the main event of UFC Fight Night 103 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
It was the eighth straight win for the 24-year-old Rodriguez, including six consecutive victories since signing with the UFC.
He was proud of what it meant to everyone who has supported his meteoric rise and he has his sights set on being a role model for his native country
“A lot of friends were able to come this time because other fights have been farther away and it’s a big expense,” said Rodriguez, who now trains in Chicago. “Especially with the market in my wonderful Mexico right now. Gasoline is going up and the dollar (is strong). But I really appreciate the people for coming here tonight. I feel like I can be the guy they look up to. I want to give them hope that we can get better.”
Rodriguez continues to make vast improvements in the cage each time out. He unleashed just about every kick in his arsenal to dispose of Penn, who didn’t speak to reporters after the fight.
While Penn is a Hall of Famer and one of the UFC’s first superstars, Rodriguez said he never had a moment of realization of who he was standing across from in the cage.
“I never had that in my mind,” said Rodriguez, who declined to speculate on whether he believes Penn should retire permanently. “I respect every opponent and every human being the same. It doesn’t matter who is in front of me. It can be Muhammad Ali. I don’t care. I will respect him the same way I respect you and I respect everyone. Why? I’m not fighting a God. If I was fighting a God, I would be on my knees. But no. He’s a human being and I respect all humans the same way.”
Rodriguez is building quite a resume of his own, which is welcome news for those at UFC headquarters long desperate for a Mexican-born star to emerge as the organization continues to try to build its brand south of the border.
He’s not trying to get ahead of himself, though.
“For me, it means a lot beating a legend like BJ Penn,” he said. “But I don’t know where it’s going to put me. I just have to wait and see what the UFC wants me to do next. I’m not the kind of fighter that’s going to ask for a certain guy next. That’s not me. I’m different. Whatever the UFC wants me to do next, I’ll be ready for it.”
So will his fans, a group that may have grown after such an impressive performance on the big stage of a cable television headlining role against a pioneer of the sport.
Rodriguez said he started to feel the crowd gravitate toward him during the fight.
“I think it was 50-50 and as the fight went on you could feel it kind of swinging in my direction,” he said. “You can feel that energy. I tried to enjoy this moment. You have to enjoy it. You have to let your body feel that energy. You have to go in there and show the people who you are and then the people are going to embrace you.”
The bandwagon will fill up very quickly with a few more performances like the one he turned in on Sunday.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.
