Yair Rodriguez

Overview

Yair Rodriguez has fought in the UFC for more than a decade, and he has never had an easy night against the elite: all three of his losses to elite-tier opponents came in main events or on the big stage, and one of his best wins came with 56 seconds left in a five-round fight.

"El Pantera" is a Featherweight out of Hidalgo Del Parral, Mexico, and he carries an 11-4 UFC record with one no contest. His pro record across all promotions is 21-6-0 (1 NC). Five of his 11 UFC wins came by finish, six by decision. He has a one-fight win streak heading into his next fight.

He has been a main-event fighter, not a prospect, for most of his career.

UFC Career

Rodriguez debuted at UFC 180 in November 2014 with a unanimous decision over Leonardo Morales. Three decisions in his first three fights meant his early run was won on the scorecards, including a split decision over Charles Rosa and a unanimous one over Dan Hooker. The finishes came next: Andre Fili in the second round at UFC 197, then a five-round split decision over Alex Caceres in a main event, then BJ Penn in 24 seconds of round two.

That run reached six straight wins, still his longest. It ended at UFC 211, when Frankie Edgar, an elite opponent by our model, stopped him with a TKO at the end of round two (5:00).

The next big result took more than a year to arrive. In November 2018 he finished Chan Sung Jung in round five at 4:59. One second from a decision, in a five-round fight. His September 2019 main event with Jeremy Stephens ended in a no contest at 0:15 of round one, and the rematch a month later went to Rodriguez by unanimous decision.

Then came another elite test: a five-round unanimous decision loss to Max Holloway in a November 2021 main event. He answered with a first-round TKO of Brian Ortega at 4:11, followed by a second-round submission of Josh Emmett, both against strong opponents. In July 2023 he headlined UFC 290 against Alexander Volkanovski, another elite opponent, and lost by TKO in round three.

Ortega got his rematch in February 2024 and submitted Rodriguez in round three at 0:58. Rodriguez returned at UFC 314 with a unanimous decision over Patricio Pitbull.

Three losses to elite opponents, two wins over strong ones. That is the shape of his career.

Fighting Style

Rodriguez is a busy striker who throws and lands more than most UFC fighters. His accuracy, defense and the punishment he absorbs are all about what you'd expect from the UFC average, so his edge comes from output rather than precision.

He rarely shoots for takedowns, preferring to keep the fight standing, and he is harder to take down than most. His submission attempts are about typical, and one of his five UFC finishes came by submission.

Four of his 11 UFC wins have come by knockout or TKO. He is a finisher who often works into a fight, with only one of his five finishes coming in round one and another arriving in round five.

Notable Wins

• Chan Sung Jung — KO/TKO, round 5 (4:59), UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez (2018)
• Brian Ortega — KO/TKO, round 1 (4:11), UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodriguez (2022)
• Josh Emmett — Submission, round 2 (4:19), UFC 284 (2023)
• BJ Penn — KO/TKO, round 2 (0:24), UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Penn (2017)

Quick Facts

• Division: Featherweight
• UFC record: 11-4 (1 NC)
• Professional record (all promotions): 21-6-0 (1 NC)
• UFC debut: 2014
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'11" / 71"
• Team: Izzystyle wrestling & VFS Chicago
• Born: Hidalgo Del Parral, Mexico