Yair Rodríguez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yair Rodríguez |
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Rodríguez in 2016
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| Born | Yair Raziel Rodríguez Portillo October 6, 1992 Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Other names | El Pantera |
| Residence | Huntington Beach, California, 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 | 25 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 6 |
| 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 by his nickname "El Pantera." Yair competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was once the Interim UFC Featherweight Champion. Rodríguez joined the UFC in 2014 after winning a special tournament called The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. As of December 2024, he is ranked among the top featherweight fighters in the UFC.
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Early Life and Taekwondo
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. This early training helped him become a skilled fighter later on.
Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Starting His Career
Yair Rodríguez began his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career on October 10, 2011. In his first fight, he won against Jonatan Guzmán. He continued to fight in various promotions in Mexico. On March 10, 2012, he won a fight by making his opponent give up using a move called a triangle choke.
Later, on December 12, 2012, he had his first loss by knockout. But Yair quickly bounced back. He won his next two fights before joining the UFC. One of these wins was by a flying knee knockout, and another was by an arm-bar submission.
The Ultimate Fighter
In May 2014, Yair Rodríguez joined a TV show called The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. This show brings together new fighters to compete for a chance to join the UFC. Yair was part of "Team Velasquez".
During the show, Yair won his first fight by submission. He then won his semifinal fight, also by submission, which sent him to 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 finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America tournament. Yair won the fight by a unanimous decision, becoming the tournament champion.
For his second UFC fight, Yair faced Charles Rosa on June 13, 2015. He won this fight too, and it was so exciting that both fighters earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus. This means they got extra money for putting on a great show.
Yair continued his winning streak. He beat Dan Hooker in October 2015. In April 2016, he knocked out Andre Fili with a head kick. This amazing knockout earned him a "Performance of the Night" bonus.
In August 2016, Yair won a close fight against Alex Caceres. This fight also earned both fighters a "Fight of the Night" bonus. On January 15, 2017, Yair had a big win against the famous fighter B.J. Penn. He won by TKO (Technical Knockout) and received another "Performance of the Night" bonus.
His winning streak ended on May 13, 2017, when he lost to Frankie Edgar. The fight was stopped by the doctor because of an injury to Yair's eye.
In 2018, Yair had a brief break from fighting due to a rule about keeping track of where fighters are for testing. But he quickly worked things out with the UFC and returned.
On November 10, 2018, Yair fought Chan Sung Jung. He won this fight with an incredible elbow knockout in the very last second of the fight. This knockout was so late in the fight that it set a new UFC record! It also won "Fight of the Night" and "Performance of the Night" awards. Many sports news outlets called it the "Knockout of the Year."
Yair faced Jeremy Stephens in September 2019. The fight ended very quickly because Yair accidentally poked Stephens in the eye. They had a rematch in October 2019, and Yair won by decision. This fight was also awarded "Fight of the Night."
In 2021, Yair fought Max Holloway, another top featherweight. Yair lost this tough fight by decision, but it was another "Fight of the Night" performance.
On July 16, 2022, Yair fought Brian Ortega. Yair won in the first round when Ortega suffered a shoulder injury.
A big moment came on February 12, 2023, when Yair fought Josh Emmett for the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship. An "interim" champion is a temporary champion when the main champion can't fight. Yair won the fight and the title by a triangle choke submission. This win also earned him a "Performance of the Night" award.
Later, on July 8, 2023, Yair fought Alexander Volkanovski to become the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. He lost this fight. In a rematch with Brian Ortega on February 24, 2024, Yair lost by submission.
Yair Rodríguez is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes on March 29, 2025.
Personal Life
Yair Rodríguez has one brother and one sister. He is also a cousin of Misael Rodríguez, who is an Olympic boxer.
Championships and Awards
Yair Rodríguez has achieved many great things in his mixed martial arts career:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Interim Featherweight Champion (One time)
- Winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Tournament
- Fight of the Night (Five times) for exciting fights against Charles Rosa, Alex Caceres, Chan Sung Jung, Jeremy Stephens, and Max Holloway
- Performance of the Night (Four times) for amazing performances against Andre Fili, B.J. Penn, Chan Sung Jung, and Josh Emmett
- He is tied for the third most post-fight bonuses in UFC Featherweight history (9 bonuses).
- Holds the record for the latest knockout in UFC history (4:59 in Round 5) against Chan Sung Jung.
- His fights have been nominated for "Fight of the Year" multiple times by UFC Honors and UFC.com.
- His knockouts have been recognized as "Knockout of the Year" by UFC.com.
- Mexican Fighters Promotions
- FMP Featherweight Champion (One time)
- Sherdog.com, MMA Fighting, MMAJunkie.com, CombatPress.com, and MMADNA.nl
- All named his knockout against Chan Sung Jung as the "2018 Knockout of the Year."
Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 19 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 3 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 19–5 (1) | Brian Ortega | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 | February 24, 2024 | 3 | 0:58 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Loss | 19–4 (1) | Alexander Volkanovski | TKO (punches) | UFC 290 | July 8, 2023 | 3 | 4:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–3 (1) | Josh Emmett | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 284 | February 12, 2023 | 2 | 4:19 | Perth, Australia | Won the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–3 (1) | Brian Ortega | TKO (shoulder injury) | UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez | July 16, 2022 | 1 | 4:11 | Elmont, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 17–3 (1) | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez | November 13, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–2 (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 | 16–2 (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 | 16–2 | Jung Chan-sung | KO (elbow) | UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez | November 10, 2018 | 5 | 4:59 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Performance of the Night. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 15–2 | Frankie Edgar | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 211 | May 13, 2017 | 2 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 15–1 | B.J. Penn | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn | January 15, 2017 | 2 | 0:24 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–1 | 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 | 13–1 | Andre Fili | KO (head kick) | UFC 197 | April 23, 2016 | 2 | 2:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1 | Dan Hooker | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 192 | October 3, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Charles Rosa | Decision (split) | UFC 188 | June 13, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 10–1 | Leonardo Morales | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 180 | November 15, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | Return to Featherweight. Won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Featherweight Tournament. |
| Win | 9–1 | Angelo Duarte | Submission (armbar) | Nemesis Promotions: High Altitude Face Off 6 | April 4, 2014 | 1 | 2:12, | Alamosa, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Édgar Juárez | KO (flying knee) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 14 | February 16, 2013 | 1 | 0:19 | Ciudad Jiménez, Mexico | Lightweight debut. |
| Loss | 7–1 | Luis Roberto Herrera | KO (punches) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 13 | December 20, 2012 | 1 | 1:21 | Chihuahua City, Mexico | Lost the FMP Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Ricardo Alcala | KO (knee) | Mexican Fighters Promotions 11 | May 25, 2012 | 1 | 0:20 | Chihuahua City, Mexico | Defended the FMP Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Carlos Ricardo | Submission (triangle choke) | The Supreme Cage 1 | March 10, 2012 | 3 | 0:50 | Monterrey, Mexico | |
| Win | 5–0 | Luis Roberto Herrera | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Mexican Fighters Promotions 10 | March 3, 2012 | 2 | 2:200 | Hidalgo del Parral, Mexico | |
| Win | 4–0 | Edgar Balderrama | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 9 | December 22, 2011 | 1 | 2:13 | Chihuahua City, Mexico | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jonatan Guzmán | Decision (unanimous) | Mexican Fighter Promotions 8 | September 17, 2011 | 5 | 3:00 | Hidalgo del Parral, Mexico | Won the FMP Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Willie Martinez | TKO (punches) | Mexican Fighters Promotions 7 | July 30, 2011 | 3 | 2:22 | Chihuahua City, Mexico | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Luis Daniel Gonzalez | KO (flying switch kick and punches) | Mexican Fighters Promotions 5 | January 29, 2011 | 1 | 1:37 | Hidalgo del Parral, Mexico | Bantamweight debut. |
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 | September 24, 2014 (airdate) | 1 | 3:55 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Semi-final round. |
| Win | 1–0 | Humberto Brown Morrison | Submission (triangle choke) | September 10, 2014 (airdate) | 2 | 2:18 | The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Quarterfinal round. |
Filmography
Yair Rodríguez has also appeared in some TV shows and films:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Ultimate Fighter | Himself | Television series |
| 2016 | UFC 200 Greatest Fighters of All Time | Himself | Television mini-series |
| 2018 | El Pantera | Himself | Documentary film |
See Also
In Spanish: Yair Rodríguez para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
