Facing Andre Fili at UFC 197, Yair Rodriguez says there's no need to protect prospects

LAS VEGAS – Yair Rodriguez, 25, faces a fellow prospect in 23-year-old Andre Fili tonight at UFC 197. While others may question the prospect-vs.-prospect booking, Rodriguez said it makes sense.

The Rodriguez (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Fili (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) featherweight bout kicks off tonight’s pay-per-view main card at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Rodriguez is a narrow favorite at the sports books, and the matchup is one of the early favorites to win “Fight of the Night” honors.

So, is the UFC potentially sacrificing one prospect for another? Earlier this week, Rodriguez told MMAjunkie it’s simply the nature of the sport, especially in a competitive 145-pound division.

“They’re trying to put someone up, and I want to be that guy,” Rodriguez said. “When they said Andre Fili, I knew it was going to be a hard fight for me. But I don’t care. I’m here to fight the best guys in the world.

“And I think Andre Fili is one of the best fighters in the world.”

Check out the full interview, which includes Rodriguez’s breakdown of the matchup and whether there’s pressure as one of the UFC’s top Mexican fighters, above.

And for more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.