5 Defining Moments: Yair Rodriguez

Yair Rodriguez can hold an audience spellbound when he fires on all cylinders. Now, he stands on the doorstep of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight boss.

“El Pantera” will set aside his interim title and challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the undisputed 145-pound crown when their unification bout headlines UFC 290 on July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rodriguez enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories, having compiled a 10-2 record inside the Octagon. The Valle Flow Striking export has shown a well-documented flair for the dramatic, with nine of his 15 professional wins having resulted in finishes.

As Rodriguez moves toward his showdown with Volkanovski, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. El Ultimo Hombre

Well-timed takedowns and superior jiu-jitsu spurred Rodriguez to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Leandro Morales in “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” featherweight final as part of UFC 180 undercard on Nov. 15, 2014 at Mexico City Arena. All three judges scored it 29-28. Morales enjoyed some success on the feet, particularly with his kicks, but did not have enough to overcome his deficiencies on the ground. Rodriguez executed takedowns in each of the first two frames, achieving full mount once and threatening with various submissions, from armbars to heel hooks, on the mat. The two featherweights fought to a virtual stalemate on the feet over the final five minutes, with Morales walking away empty-handed.

2. No Answers

Frankie Edgar gave Rodriguez the big brother treatment, as he was awarded a technical knockout against “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner in their UFC 211 featherweight showcase on May 13, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The end came in between the second and third rounds. Edgar did not fool around. The Toms River, New Jersey, native executed a takedown inside the first 90 seconds and pounded on the prospect with punches, forearm strikes and elbows for more than three minutes. When the first five minutes was up, Rodriguez rose to his feet and the damage became apparent for all to see. His left eye was nearly swollen shut. Edgar struck for another takedown early in Round 2, dodged an attempted kneebar, achieved full mount and then settled in top position. Rodriguez absorbed more punishment courtesy of targeted elbows and punches. After the round concluded, the cageside physician examined the 24-year-old and recommended the fight be stopped.

3. An Optical Illusion

It had to be seen to be believed. Rodriguez was responsible for one of the most incredible finishes in Ultimate Fighting Championship history when he knocked out Chan Sung Jung with a no-look upward elbow in the fifth round of their UFC Fight Night 139 headliner on Nov. 10, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. “The Korean Zombie” kissed the canvas in the final second of the fight. The official time was 4:59 of Round 5. The Rodriguez lightning bolt tied a bow on a contender for “Fight of the Year,” the two featherweights having emptied themselves across 25 remarkable minutes. They combined to land 245 significant strikes against one another, with Jung holding a slight 126-119 advantage. Rodriguez zeroed in on the South Korean’s legs with a variety of kicks and mixed in some of his patented spinning techniques but could not halt his forward progress—until he caught the charging Jung with the fight-ending elbow.

4. Short of the Mark

Former undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder Max Holloway grinded through five amazing rounds with Rodriguez and exited the Octagon with a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 197 main event on Nov. 13, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47. Rodriguez made his intentions known after a two-year absence, as he targeted the Hawaiian’s base with repeated kicks to the lower leg. Holloway managed to walk through considerable damage, though his leg appeared to swell to twice its normal size. The Gracie Technics product marched forward with the multi-punch bursts for which he has become known and gained more and more ground as the fight progressed. He even mixed in takedowns and threw in a few submission attempts, including a standing guillotine that nearly produced a finish. Rodriguez never stopped throwing and emptied the tank against one of the all-time greats, firing everything from backfists and cartwheel kicks to upward elbows in his direction. Clearly behind on the scorecards, he made every attempt to put away Holloway down the stretch but failed to dial up the combination he needed.

5. Golden Ticket

Rodriguez dispatched Josh Emmett with a triangle choke and captured the interim featherweight championship in the second round of their UFC 284 co-headliner on Feb. 11, 2023 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Emmett, who had never before been submitted, bowed out 4:19 into Round 2. Rodriguez unleashed a blistering attack on the Team Alpha Male rep’s body with a variety of kicks from every imaginable angle. However, Emmett did not go away quietly. He rocked Rodriguez with a right hook in the first round, powered into top position and leaned into his ground-and-pound. It was a harrowing exchange for “El Pantera,” but he managed to endure. Rodriguez continued to zero in on the body in the second round, and though he conceded a takedown after landing a flying knee, he had his reeling adversary right where he wanted him. Emmett soon wandered in the triangle and tapped once the choke was fully cinched.