"I'm not interested in taking hits" - Yair Rodriguez reveals he no longer spars in training camp

Yair Rodriguez is the latest high profile UFC fighter to reveal he's no longer sparring in the gym. Typically, sparring practice is one of the cornerstones of a fighter's training camps. However, Rodriguez has decided the health risks associated with getting hit are too great.

In a recent interview with Hablemos MMA, Rodriguez said:

"So no, I’m not interested in taking hits during training. They don’t pay for that. They pay me to fight once I’m up in the cage. I try to save myself from as much impact as I can possibly have to my head.”

"I’m not going to forget how to fight. I have many, many years in combat sports – I’ve been in this since I was 5 years old across many sports. So now I just focus on the technical, tactical and physical. It’s basically knowing what to do, what not to do and building up my endurance for the fight.”

Watch Yair Rodriguez discuss his preparations for fighting Brian Ortega below:

Yair Rodriguez's last fight was against Max Holloway, another elite striker who has stopped sparring but still has some of the tightest striking in the UFC. While 'El Pantera' lost that fight via decision, he proved that he could hang with 'Blessed' at the very top of the featherweight division.

Now he faces Brian Ortega at UFC on ABC 3, and while 'T-City' doesn't have the same level of striking prowess, his submission game is second to none at 145 pounds.

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Yair Rodriguez is sad he never got to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov

Yair Rodriguez was scheduled to face Zabit Magomedsharipov twice over their years as rising featherweight contenders, but for various reasons the fights never managed to materialize.

Now Magomedsharipov has retired from active competition, and Rodriguez is sad they never got to compete. In a new interview with Hablemos MMA, he said:

“Yeah, it does sadden me a bit due to the fact that there was a lot of talk – especially him. He said a lot of things. It’s sad to not be able to finish something that was started. For whatever reason it didn’t materialize. But either way, I don’t have any resentment toward him. I hope that he does very well in whatever he decides to do. If he’s injured or sick, I hope he recovers, and I wish him the best.”

Magomedsharipov leaves the sport as one of the big 'What if' stories of MMA. The Russian fighter left with an 18-1 record off a 2019 win over Calvin Kattar, cementing him as a legitimate contender in the 145 pound division.