Yair Rodriguez, who lost to Alexander Volkanovski in a featherweight title unification bout at UFC 290, admitted he should have listened to his corner more during the fight and believes he will have another opportunity to fight for the title again.
Yair Rodriguez knows his mistake against Alexander Volkanovski. It was last July, in a featherweight title unification bout at UFC 290. He lost to the long-reigning champ via third-round TKO. A tough blow for “El Pantera,” but a lesson learned.
“Listen to my corner a little more,” Rodriguez admitted on The MMA Hour. He confessed he wasn’t really taking in his corner’s advice during the fight. He made adjustments, started picking up the pace, but then came the punch. A good one, right in the third round.
He didn’t take much time to recover. His corner advised him to slow down, but he didn’t listen. He jumped back in, got hit with a right hand, and was nearly out. “I couldn’t really defend myself that well. But it is what it is. That’s the name of the sport,” he said.
He tried to bounce back quickly. He didn’t want the fight to lose momentum. He felt confident, then came another punch. It was a good one, and he felt it. After that, he was nearly out and couldn’t do much.
Rodriguez was upset with the outcome. But upon reflection, he believes his story with Volkanovski isn’t over. “I was sad. I didn’t want to watch the fight,” he said. But he did, and it wasn’t as bad as he thought. He’s confident he can take Volkanovski in the next one.
He’s still in contention. Still at the front of the division. He believes he’ll have another shot at the title. Rodriguez is the No. 2-ranked featherweight, according to UFC. He’s set to climb back to title contention on Saturday with a five-round rematch against Brian Ortega at UFC Mexico.
They first met in 2022 at UFC on ABC 3. Rodriguez won in the first round after Ortega suffered a shoulder injury. Some fans weren’t happy with the result, but now they have a chance to make it right. And it’s happening in Rodriguez’s home country.
“I like the fact that I’m fighting in Mexico City,” Rodriguez said. He was surprised he didn’t get the main event but still got five rounds. “But who cares? Whatever. I’m OK with whatever.”
He didn’t have many options for opponents. They offered Brian Ortega, and he said yes. Many people didn’t like the result of the last fight, but who cares? They’re fighting again, and this time there will be no doubt.
Rodriguez believes home field advantage will be huge. He thinks it will lead to the same outcome as the first fight. He’s not sure if Brian has been preparing at high elevation, but he expects him to come at him quickly. He predicts Brian will try to take him down, get desperate, and that will lead to Rodriguez winning.
“He’s going to feel the elevation, he’s going to feel the pressure of the public, he’s going to feel my pressure because I am 100 percent not getting tired in that fight, and I think I’m going to get him in the second round,” Rodriguez said.
UFC Mexico is happening on Feb. 24 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The main event? A flyweight rematch between Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval.