UFC's Yair Rodriguez discusses knee injury, possible next opponents, U.S. recognition

Yair Rodriguez has no desire to name a specific opponent he’d like to fight next. Not because he doesn’t want to stir the pot, but because he said he’s reached a stage in his career where the competition is interchangeable.

Rodriguez (10-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is coming off a second-round TKO destruction of UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn at UFC Fight Night 103 in January. It marked his sixth consecutive win in the UFC featherweight division and helped further validate “Pantera” as one of the rising stars in the sport.

Although Rodriguez said he’s ready to fight the best of the best, he made it clear no specific name raises his pulse. And that’s not because no one stands out; it’s because they all do.

“I don’t really care at this time; at the top of the division everyone is going to be very, very tough,” Rodriguez recently said. “Most of the fighters in the top 10 are almost at the same level, in different ways. Some at striking, some at wrestling, some of them at jiu-jitsu. To be part of the top you have to be ready for everything so it doesn’t really matter.”

Rodriguez, 24, has captured the attention of fight fans for his flashy and sometimes-reckless style that has led to memorable victories, including a highlight-reel knockout of Andre Fili at UFC 197 in April. The dominant performance against Penn added a legendary name to his increasingly impressive resume.

If Rodriguez continues on his current pace, he has the potential to be a fighter the UFC can stand behind from a promotional perspective, especially in Latin America. With back-to-back UFC main-event wins on his record, Rodriguez said he’s already begun to sense an increased profile.

“To be honest, before B.J., of course people recognized me, but not as much as this time,” Rodriguez said. “Now I can see in the United States a lot of people are asking me for pictures, autographs and all that stuff. Before it was just in Mexico and Latin America. Now it’s everywhere.”

Rodriguez, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, revealed following the win over Penn that he suffered a knee injury weeks prior to the fight that significantly limited his training. He went through with the fight and won, but the damage is still lingering, and that means he won’t be in a rush to return to the octagon, he said.

Rodriguez said the layoff is necessary. He said he won’t be out long, though, and at this point it’s on the UFC to determine which date and opponent it wants to offer him next.

“I’m just waiting to see who the UFC wants to bring,” Rodriguez said. “I will be waiting, and I will take whoever. Whoever that the UFC want me to fight I’ll be ready for him.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.