Yair Rodriguez
UFC 2014–present · rated in 5 editions · peak overall 85.0
Scouting report
Yair "El Pantera" Rodriguez knocked out Chan Sung Jung with an upward elbow at 4:59 of the fifth round, one of the latest finishes in UFC history, and later won the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship by submitting Josh Emmett. Born in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, Rodriguez uses jumping and spinning kicks drawn from a taekwondo background, reflected in an 87 Kickboxing rating and 88 Cardio.
Peak ratings
By edition
Rodriguez knocked out Andre Fili with a flying head kick at UFC 197, beat Alex Caceres in Salt Lake City, and stopped BJ Penn via head kick and punches in Phoenix, before a doctor-stoppage loss to Frankie Edgar. His kicking arsenal and speed are reflected in an 90 Kickboxing and 80 Boxing.
In November 2018 at UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver, Rodriguez knocked out Chan Sung Jung with an upward elbow at 4:59 of round five, then beat Jeremy Stephens by decision in Boston in late 2019. His striking angles and stamina are reflected in an 92 Kickboxing and 88 Cardio.
Returning from a two-year layoff in November 2021 at UFC Fight Night 197 in Las Vegas, Rodriguez fought Max Holloway over five rounds, landing calf kicks, spinning strikes, and elbows in a unanimous-decision loss. His kickboxing offense is reflected in an 92 Kickboxing and 84 Boxing score.
In February 2023 at UFC 284 in Perth, Rodriguez submitted Josh Emmett with a second-round triangle choke to win the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship, then lost a title-unification bout to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290 and a submission loss to Brian Ortega in Mexico City. His kicking threat and finishing ability anchor his 93 Kickboxing and 86 Boxing score.
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Ratings shown are our own, built from independent research and from how Yair Rodriguez is regarded by the MMA community, with the EA Sports UFC games used only as a starting baseline for the scale. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Yair Rodriguez's real-world abilities. See the disclaimer below.