Yair Rodriguez makes feelings known about Brazilian Diego Lopes carrying Mexican flag in UFC

Yair Rodriguez (left) talks about Diego Lopes (right) representing Mexico. [Images courtesy: @ufc on Instagram]

Yair Rodriguez is not a fan of Diego Lopes representing Mexico in UFC. Rodriguez expressed his disapproval, saying he would never represent the United States.

Rodriguez and Lopes are set to feature at UFC 314, which will take place this weekend at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The Brazilian will take on former champion Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title in the main event. Meanwhile, Rodriguez will face former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull on the main card of the PPV event.

Notably, despite being a Brazilian, Lopes has been living in Mexico and training at Alexa Grasso's Lobo Gym in Guadalajara. However, Rodriguez is upset with the 30-year-old representing Mexico in the octagon.

During UFC 314 media day, the former interim featherweight champion expressed his thoughts, stating that despite living and working in the United States for a long period, he would not consider himself an American:

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''I have been living in the US for over 10 years... I love this country because it gave me the opportunity to have a job... But not because of that I'm gonna say I'm American. I'm not, I'm Mexican. I'm proud of it. Yes, I have a problem with that, not with Diego. He’s just doing his job...but my problem is, what’s up with people?... If people want to see him as Mexican, I don’t have a problem with that... I’ve been doing all the things to represent my country. I have bled for my country, I have cried for my country, I’ve hugged the flag. I can’t be more proud of being Mexican.”

Check out Yair Rodriguez's comments below:

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Rodriguez is coming off a third-round submission loss to Brian Ortega at UFC Mexico City last year. As for Lopes, he is on a five-fight win streak, the most recent being a unanimous decision win over Ortega at Noche UFC 306.

Yair Rodriguez is eyeing for another title shot

Yair Rodriguez failed in his title unification bout against Alexander Volkanovski after suffering a third-round knockout defeat at UFC 290. On the aforementioned media day, Rodriguez voiced his wish to get back into title contention with a potential win over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 314.

Rodriguez expressed his desire to feature on the Noche UFC card this year in Guadalajara on Sept. 13, saying:

''My visualization goes towards that [Noche UFC]... I was actually texting Brandon Moreno... I told him, ‘Let’s make it two. Let’s make it two championships in Guadalajara. It will be a historical event.’ That’s what I’m looking for.”

Check out Yair Rodriguez's comments below (7:25):

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Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta