Yair Rodriguez: A rough road to championship glory

Win or lose, Yair Rodriguez always puts on exciting fights. This Saturday, however, 'El Pantera' aims to do more than be one-half of an octagon thriller. At UFC 290, he'll stand face to face with the most daunting challenge in his career, thus far: reigning UFC featherweight champion and P4P king Alexander Volkanovski.

However, the featherweight interim titleholder remains unmoved. His headline bout with 'The Great' will present him with the biggest opportunity of his career. Yair Rodriguez is young and will likely mount another campaign for divisional supremacy in the near future if things don't go his way at UFC 290.

But 'El Pantera' has trained too hard for things to not go his way. He has taken to training at the summit of an Aztec temple, where he hopes to draw upon the warrior spirit of his ancestors to help him reach a new mountain peak: the top of the UFC featherweight division.

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From winning The Ultimate Fighter to learning lessons

MMA has a rich history of dynamic kickers like Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis and Anderson 'The Spider' Silva. Few will ever forget Anthony Pettis' Showtime kick against Benson Henderson. Meanwhile, Anderson Silva's front-kick knockout over Vitor Belfort ranks among the greatest in UFC history.

No one, however, could have predicted the rise of a flashy kicker, who would one day take a division once ruled by wrestlers by storm. In 2011, Yair Rodriguez made his MMA debut on the Mexican regional scene. Two days earlier, José Aldo had defended the title that 'El Pantera' would one day compete for 12 years later.

At the time, the UFC featherweight division was a hub of high-level wrestlers. José Aldo was among the few kickers who found success. But there was nothing flashy about him. He was a brutal low-kicker, with a strong grasp of boxing fundamentals and the greatest anti-wrestling game the sport has ever seen.

By contrast, Yair Rodriguez was wild. He'd throw high-risk kicks with reckless abandon. Barring a knockout loss to Roberto Herrera, this streak of chaotic creativity saw him amass a thrilling highlight reel of finishes that earned him a spot on The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, where he fought for Team Velasquez.

Yair Rodriguez was a revelation, finishing every one of his foes, including via verbal submission due to kicks. At UFC 180, he won the finale but found himself unable to finish the durable Leonardo Morales. After securing his maiden UFC win, 'El Pantera' continued climbing up the rankings.

By 2017, he was on a six-fight win streak in the promotion, including a victory over legendary lightweight B.J. Penn. His next bout came against another 155-pound great who had cut down to featherweight: Frankie Edgar. Back then, 'The Answer' was fresh off a win over Jeremy Stephens after losing to José Aldo.

He was 6-1 in his last seven fights and proved far too experienced for 'El Pantera', whose linear movement and heavy-kicking game made him easy for Edgar to pressure and score takedowns against. By the second round, Yair Rodriguez's eye was swollen shut and the cage-side doctor called for an end to the bout.

The fight revealed glaring weaknesses in the Mexican's fighting style. He had no answer for an opponent who smothered his kicks, forced him into boxing exchanges at a range he was unaccustomed to, and outwrestled him. The loss was a bitter pill and 'El Pantera' took more than a year away from the sport.

Unfortunately, there was little improvement made regarding his answer to forward pressure. Upon his return, he faced Chan Sung Jung. While the bout was competitive, Yair Rodriguez still struggled when deprived of the space and time to throw his kicks with leverage.

Towards the end, 'The Korean Zombie' looked to be the winner. But in the dying moments of the last round, Chan Sung Jung stormed forward with a reckless barrage. Rodriguez ducked under his punches and cracked his chin with a rising elbow, before the last tick of the clock.

While Yair Rodriguez won 2018's Knockout of the Year, it was still a concerning performance. A year later, he squandered a bout against Jeremy Stephens by poking him in the eye within 15 seconds, leaving his foe unable to continue and forcing the UFC to schedule a rematch.

While he'd win their clash via unanimous decision, he gassed out in the second round. Cardio, it seemed, was another issue he needed to work on.

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Yair Rodriguez, UFC interim featherweight champion

After defeating Jeremy Stephens in the pair's rematch, Yair Rodriguez was in need of a change. His cardio had failed him against one of the most beatable fighters in the division. Before that, his inability to deal with opponents who smothered his kicks and pursued takedowns had impacted his other fights.

'El Pantera' took his usual year-long absence from the sport. While the UFC tried to book him in matchups with the equally exciting Zabit Magomedsharipov, an ankle injury interfered. It was around this time that Rodriguez was handed a six-month suspension for repeatedly failing to disclose his location to USADA.

While fans were left wondering what was happening to him, Rodriguez had taken refuge 10,000 feet high in the ancient peak of an Aztec temple. There, with the thinner air taxing his lungs and the warrior legacy of his forefathers surrounding him, he transformed into a new fighter.

After a two-year sabbatical, 'El Pantera' returned to the octagon against all-time great featherweight Max Holloway. Fans expected a washout in the Hawaiian's favor. He was a former champion with a bottomless gas tank and high-pressure style. Everyone expected Yair Rodriguez to crumble.

The bout, however, was not the demolition fans had predicted. Instead, it was far more competitive than anyone could have anticipated. While Holloway won, Rodriguez gave a good account of himself, showcasing his improved cardio by going blow for blow with 'Blessed' for 25 minutes.

Furthermore, Holloway's trademark pressure was punished by a sharper boxing skill set 'El Pantera' had never shown before. Fans were impressed. He showed even greater improvements in his next fight against Brian Ortega, thoroughly dominating 'T-City' in nearly every exchange.

While the bout ended due to a freak injury on Ortega's part, it was due to Rodriguez slapping on an armbar that 'T-City' tried to yank himself out of, inadvertently dislocating his own shoulder. It was not the win he wanted, but it was the win he got, and it catapulted him into interim title contention.

At the time, Alexander Volkanovski had embarked on an excursion to 155 pounds in pursuit of lightweight gold against Islam Makhachev. With the featherweight throne empty, the UFC sought to crown an interim champion in Volkanovski's absence.

Josh Emmett arose to meet Yair Rodriguez for the challenge. At UFC 284, the two men battled, and it was nothing short of domination from Rodriguez. He brutalized Emmett with snappy kicks that seemed even faster than before and punished him with intercepting punches every time he tried to smother him.

After stunning his foe in the second round, 'El Pantera' followed up with a flying knee, but all it did was award Emmett top control. Though little did anyone know, that it was the beginning of the end for Emmett. Rodriguez secured a triangle choke and as he edged towards unconsciousness, Emmett surrendered.

Yair Rodriguez was crowned the interim champion and is now scheduled to unify the belts with Alexander Volkanovski this Saturday. The road hasn't been easy for him, so for it to culminate with the most difficult challenge of his career seems oddly poetic, and 'El Pantera' wouldn't have it any other way.