With B.J. Penn on deck, UFC headliner Yair Rodriguez says 2017 could be his title year

If all goes to plan, Yair Rodriguez could have a UFC belt around his waist within the next 12 months.

Rodriguez, who’s 5-0 with three-fight bonuses after winning “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” and joining the UFC, has a big opportunity to improve his stock and his profile in the featherweight division. As recently announced, Rodriguez (8-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn (16-10-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) in UFC Fight Night 103’s FS1-televised headliner, which takes place Jan. 15 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

Rodriguez isn’t ranked in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, and though Penn’s best days are behind him, a victory over “The Prodigy” could give Rodriguez a boost.

Prior to the recent Rodriguez vs. Penn announcement, the 24-year-old Mexican fighter laid out his plan. The addition of the Penn fight should assure it’s feasible.

“I think the title shot isn’t too far (away),” he told MMAjunkie. “If I keep winning my fights, it’s probably one or two more fights before my title shot.”

Rodriguez said the featherweight division is “a little weird” – current 145-pound champ Conor McGregor recently won the lightweight belt and could take a hiatus, and interim titleholder Jose Aldo recently flirted with the idea of walking away for good – but as one of the few Mexican fighters on the UFC roster, Rodriguez is getting some promotion behind him.

He said the UFC push doesn’t add any additional pressure to get to his title shot, though.

“Everyone says, ‘Oh, that’s a lot pressure,'” said Rodriguez, who recently headlined his first UFC show and earned a split-decision win over Alex Caceres. “That’s not true. It’s just people supporting me. Why – why should I feel pressure. I feel great. I feel amazing. Thank you (for the support).”

Check out the full conversation above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 103, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.