Yair Rodríguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yair Rodríguez
Rodríguez in 2016
Born	Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo (1992-10-06) October 6, 1992 (age 32) Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico
Other names	El Pantera
Residence	Itasca, Illinois, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division	Featherweight
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Fighting out of	Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico
Team	Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center Jackson Wink MMA Academy (former) Kings MMA Valle Flow Striking (former)
Rank	Black belt in Taekwondo
Years active	2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	26
Wins	20
By knockout	8
By submission	5
By decision	7
Losses	5
By knockout	3
By submission	1
By decision	1
No contests	1

Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo (born October 6, 1992) is a professional mixed martial artist from Mexico. He is known as "El Pantera" (The Panther). Yair competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was once the Interim UFC Featherweight Champion. Yair joined the UFC in 2014 after winning a TV show called The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. He is currently ranked among the top featherweight fighters in the UFC.

Early Life and Training

Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo was born and grew up in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. His parents are Rigoberto Rodríguez Olivas and Norma Alicia Portillo. Yair started learning Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, when he was just five years old.

Yair's Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Starting His Career

Yair Rodríguez began his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career on October 10, 2011. His first fight was at Mexican Fighter Promotions 8, where he won against Jonatan Guzmán. He won this fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed he was the winner.

In March 2012, Yair won another fight by making his opponent give up using a move called a triangle choke. He faced a tough loss in December 2012 when he was knocked out in the first round. But Yair bounced back, winning his next two fights before joining the UFC. One of these wins was by a quick knockout, and the other was by an arm-bar submission.

Becoming a Ultimate Fighter

In May 2014, Yair was chosen to be on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. This is a reality TV show where fighters compete to win a contract with the UFC. Yair was part of "Team Velasquez".

During the show, Yair won his first fight against Humberto Brown by a triangle choke. He then won his semifinal fight against Rudolfo Rubio, which allowed him to reach the finals.

Fighting in the UFC

Yair Rodríguez officially joined the UFC on November 15, 2014, at UFC 180. He fought Leonardo Morales in the featherweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. Yair won this fight by unanimous decision, becoming the tournament champion.

His second UFC fight was against Charles Rosa in June 2015. Yair won by a split decision, meaning some judges thought he won, and others thought his opponent won. This exciting fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award.

Yair continued his winning streak, defeating Dan Hooker in October 2015 and Andre Fili in April 2016. His win against Andre Fili was a knockout in the second round, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

In August 2016, Yair won another split decision against Alex Caceres. This fight was also so exciting that both fighters received Fight of the Night honors.

Yair faced the famous fighter B.J. Penn in January 2017. Yair won this fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. He received another Performance of the Night bonus for his impressive win.

However, Yair faced a tough challenge against Frankie Edgar in May 2017. He lost this fight when the doctor stopped it after the second round because of an injury to his eye.

After some disagreements with the UFC, Yair returned to fight Chan Sung Jung in November 2018. Yair won this fight with an amazing knockout using a reverse elbow in the very last second of the fifth round. This was one of the latest knockouts in UFC history! This incredible win earned him both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. Many sports media outlets called it the "Knockout of the Year."

In September 2019, Yair fought Jeremy Stephens. The fight ended quickly in a "no contest" because Yair accidentally poked Stephens in the eye, and Stephens could not continue. They had a rematch in October 2019, and Yair won by unanimous decision. This fight also earned him a Fight of the Night award.

Yair faced Max Holloway in November 2021 in a highly anticipated fight. Yair lost this fight by unanimous decision, but it was another exciting match that earned him a Fight of the Night award.

In July 2022, Yair fought Brian Ortega. He won the fight in the first round when Ortega suffered a shoulder injury and could not continue.

Yair then fought Josh Emmett for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship in February 2023. Yair won the fight and the championship by a triangle choke submission in the second round. This win also earned him a Performance of the Night award.

In July 2023, Yair fought Alexander Volkanovski to become the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. He lost this fight by TKO in the third round.

In February 2024, Yair had a rematch with Brian Ortega. He lost this fight in the third round by an arm-triangle choke submission.

Most recently, on April 12, 2025, Yair fought Patrício Pitbull, a former champion from another fighting organization. Yair won this fight by unanimous decision.

Personal Life

Yair Rodríguez has one brother and one sister. He is also a cousin of Olympic boxer Misael Rodríguez.

Achievements and Awards

Yair Rodríguez has achieved many great things in his MMA career:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Interim Featherweight Champion (One time)
  • Winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Tournament
  • Fight of the Night (Five times)
  • Performance of the Night (Four times)
  • He is tied for the third most post-fight bonuses in UFC Featherweight history (9 bonuses).
  • He holds the record for the latest knockout in UFC history (4:59 in Round 5) against Chan Sung Jung.
• Mexican Fighters Promotions
  • FMP Featherweight Champion (One time)
• He has won "Knockout of the Year" awards from several sports media outlets in 2018 for his knockout against Chan Sung Jung.

Filmography

Yair Rodríguez has appeared in some television shows and a documentary:

See also

In Spanish: Yair Rodríguez para niños

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists