The main event of next Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix will feature a featherweight clash between a prospect and a legend. Rising 145-pounder Yair Rodriguez will look to continue his surge when he meets Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer B.J. Penn.
When Rodriguez steps inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena to compete, he will be doing so against a former two-division champion. “El Pantera” spoke with MMAJunkie.com to discuss the importance of this bout:
“Fighting B.J. Penn is a pretty big deal. He’s already a two-time world champion in two different weight classes, so it makes it a pretty big deal for me, a pretty big test for my career. It’s a good opportunity to be tested by the UFC and see if they want to give me the title shot soon or not. I think this fight puts me in a good position for that title shot if I win.”
There’s a belief that the Mexican bruiser sought after a bout with Penn. Rodriguez denied ever asking to fight “The Prodigy.”
“B.J. is saying that I asked for this fight, and I never asked for this fight. I don’t know who told him that. The UFC just offered me the fight, and I said yes, so here we are, preparing ourselves to get in a war on Jan. 15. I don’t know who told B.J. that I was asking for the fight, but he is wrong.”
Regardless of whether Rodriguez asked or not, the fight will play out inside the Octagon. A win for Penn would be his first since Nov. 2010 when he knocked out Matt Hughes in 21 seconds. Penn has gone 0-3-1 since that time and is coming out of retirement.
Rodriguez has only suffered defeat once in nine bouts. In his eight victories, “El Pantera” has two knockouts and one submission. His last fight was a split decision win over Alex Caceres in a “Fight of the Night” performance.
