Yair Rodríguez
Quick Facts
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Biography
Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo (born October 6, 1992) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist who is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he competes in their featherweight division. He has been with the UFC since 2014 after winning The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America tournament. As of December 16, 2019, he is #5 in the UFC featherweight rankings.
Early life
Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo was born and raised in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico to Rigoberto Rodríguez Olivas and Norma Alicia Portillo. Rodríguez started Taekwondo at age five.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Rodríguez made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut on October 10, 2011, at Mexican Fighter Promotions 8, when he fought Jonatan Guzmán and won via unanimous decision. On March 10, 2012, he fought Carlos Ricardo at The Supreme Cage Fighting 1. He won via third round submission (triangle choke). Rodríguez then fought Luis Roberto Herrera on December 12, 2012, at Mexican Fighter Promotions 13. He lost via first round KO (punches). Rodríguez next faced Édgar Juárez on February 16, 2013 at Mexican Fighter Promotions 14. He won the fight via first-round KO (flying knee). His final fight before he entered the UFC was against Angelo Durante on April 4, 2014 at NP: High Altitude Face Off 6. Rodríguez won the fight via first round submission (armbar).
The Ultimate Fighter
In May 2014, it was revealed that Rodríguez was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, competing for "Team Velasquez".
In his first fight on the show, Rodríguez defeated Humberto Brown in the quarterfinals via submission (triangle choke).In the semifinals, Rodríguez defeated Rudolfo Rubio via submission (strikes) to reach the finals.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rodríguez made his official UFC debut on November 15, 2014 at UFC 180, facing Leonardo Morales in The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight finals. Rodríguez defeated Morales via unanimous decision to become the tournament winner.
For his second fight with the promotion, Rodríguez fought Charles Rosa on June 13, 2015 at UFC 188. He won the fight by split decision. Rodríguez then received his first Fight of the Night bonus award.
Rodríguez next competed against Dan Hooker on October 3, 2015 at UFC 192. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Rodríguez next faced Andre Fili on April 23, 2016 at UFC 197. He won the fight via knockout in the second round and was awarded his first Performance of the Night bonus.
Rodríguez next fought Alex Caceres on August 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 92. He won the fight by split decision. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Rodríguez next faced returning veteran B.J. Penn on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. Rodríguez won the fight via TKOin the second round. Afterwards, he was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
Rodríguez next faced Frankie Edgar on May 13, 2017 at UFC 211. He lost the fight via TKO (doctor stoppage) after the second round due to swelling on his left eye.
On May 10, 2018, it was reported that Rodríguez was released from the UFC after allegedly declining two fights. Three weeks later, Rodríguez announced that he and UFC officials worked out their differences and that he was back on the roster.
He was expected to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228, however, Rodríguez pulled out of the fight on August 23 citing injury.
In late October, Rodríguez agreed to replace Frankie Edgar and fight Chan Sung Jung on November 10, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 139, after Edgar withdrew due to injury. Rodríguez won the fight by knockout via reverse elbow at 4 minutes 59 seconds in the fifth round; the latest knockout in UFC history. He was awarded the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. The knockout went on to win accolades as the knockout of the year from many media sources.
Rodríguez faced Jeremy Stephens on September 21, 2019 in the main event at UFC on ESPN+ 17. The bout ended in a "No Contest" just 15 seconds into the first round after Rodríguez accidentally swatted Stephens in the left eye, rendering his opponent unable to continue.
Rodríguez faced Jeremy Stephens in a rematch on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6. He won the fight via unanimous decision.This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Rodríguez was scheduled to face Zabit Magomedsharipov on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175. However, Rodríguez pullled out with a ankle injury.
Personal life
Rodríguez has one brother and one sister. He is also a cousin of Olympic boxer Misael Rodríguez.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Mexican Fighters Promotions
- FMP Featherweight Championship (One time)
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Tournament Winner
- Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Charles Rosa, Alex Caceres, Chan Sung Jung and Jeremy Stephens
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Andre Fili, BJ Penn and Chan Sung Jung
- Latest knockout in UFC history (4 minutes 59 seconds of Round 5)
- Sherdog
- 2018 Knockout of the Year
- MMA Fighting
- 2018 Knockout of the Year
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2018 Knockout of the Year
- 2019 October Fight of the Month
- CombatPress.com
- 2018 Knockout of the Year
- MMADNA.nl
- 2018 Knockout of the Year
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 16 matches | 13 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 2 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 6 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 13–2 (1) | Jeremy Stephens | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman | October 18, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| NC | 12–2 (1) | Jeremy Stephens | NC (accidental eye poke) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 0:15 | Mexico City, Mexico | Accidental eye poke rendered Stephens unable to continue. |
| Win | 12–2 | Chan Sung Jung | KO (elbow) | UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez | November 10, 2018 | 5 | 4:59 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 11–2 | Frankie Edgar | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 211 | May 13, 2017 | 2 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | B.J. Penn | TKO (front kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn | January 15, 2017 | 2 | 0:24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 10–1 | Alex Caceres | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres | August 6, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 9–1 | Andre Fili | KO (flying head kick) | UFC 197 | April 23, 2016 | 2 | 2:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 8–1 | Dan Hooker | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 192 | October 3, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Charles Rosa | Decision (split) | UFC 188 | June 13, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–1 | Leonardo Morales | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 180 | November 15, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Featherweight Tournament. |
| Win | 5–1 | Angelo Duarte | Submission (armbar) | NP: High Altitude Face Off 6 | April 4, 2014 | 1 | 2:12 | Alamosa, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Édgar Juárez | KO (flying knee) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 14 | February 16, 2013 | 1 | 0:13 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Roberto Herrera | KO (punches) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 13 | December 20, 2012 | 1 | 1:21 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Win | 3–0 | Carlos Ricardo | Submission (triangle choke) | The Supreme Cage 1 | March 10, 2012 | 3 | 0:50 | Monterrey, Mexico | |
| Win | 2–0 | Edgar Balderrama | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Jueves DIC 22 | December 22, 2011 | 1 | 2:13 | Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jonatan Guzmán | Decision (unanimous) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 8 | October 10, 2011 | 3 | 3:00 | Mexico City, Mexico |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 2 matches | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2–0 | Rodolfo Rubio Perez | TKO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America | June 6, 2014 | 1 | 3:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 1–0 | Humberto Brown Morrison | Submission (triangle choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America | May 30, 2014 | 2 | 2:18 | Las Vegas, Nevada |