Latest news with #YairRodriguez
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Alexander Volkanovski's UFC title reign up in the air as champion is denied preferred fight
Alexander Volkanovski 's next fight is up in the air, after the UFC champion's preferred challenger declared he is fighting a fellow contender this summer. Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight throne in April, outpointing Diego Lopes to win the belt that Ilia Topuria vacated in February. Twelve months earlier, Topuria knocked out Volkanovski to become champion, ending the Australian's four-year reign. And Volkanovski, looking to build a strong second stint with the belt, had made clear his desire to defend the gold against Movsar Evloev first. The Russian is unbeaten at 19-0 and last fought in December, outpointing ex-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Evloev was the most obvious next challenger for Volkanovski, 36, but the 31-year-old tweeted on Thursday (22 May): 'If you are a UFC fighter and believe you are the best in the world then you have fight every fight they throw at you. 'No risk no reward. See you guys in July, it's ON #AbuDhabi. '@alexvolkanovski thank you Champ for trying to fight me, I will fight in July and you fight in September, hopefully we both win and we can meet in December.' It is suspected that Evloev could face new signing Aaron Pico, 28, who has joined the UFC from Bellator, while Volkanovski's next challenger may be Yair Rodriguez through a process of elimination. While Volkanovski beat the Mexican handily in 2023, stopping him in round three, Rodriguez recorded a significant win against former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull last time out. Admittedly, that decision victory only snapped a two-fight losing streak for Rodriguez, who was submitted by Brian Ortega after his defeat by Volk. However, the only fighters above the 32-year-old in the rankings are: Topuria, who has moved up to challenge for the lightweight strap; Lopes, who just lost to Volkanovski; and Max Holloway, who is booked to fight at lightweight in July (and who Volkanovski has beaten three times). Furthermore, with the UFC having booked its pay-per-view main events for June, July and August, the next free headline slot is September's UFC 320 in Mexico – Rodriguez's home country. But there are ongoing issues with the new Arena Guadalajara, meaning the event could yet be moved. UFC 320 has already suffered a setback, with a boxing super-fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford being moved from 12 September to 13 September, the same night as the UFC show. That is despite a plan for UFC president Dana White to co-promote the boxing event with Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh. With both fight cards playing out on the same night, it seems unlikely that White will be involved in Canelo vs Crawford. It is unclear what that means for his new working relationship with Alalshikh under TKO Boxing.
USA Today
22-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Why former UFC champ Ilia Topuria isn't a fan of Yair Rodriguez's fighting style
Why former UFC champ Ilia Topuria isn't a fan of Yair Rodriguez's fighting style Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria doesn't rate Yair Rodriguez's fighting style very highly. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) isn't expected to cross paths with former title challenger Rodriguez after vacating his 145-pound title. He is currently gunning for an immediate shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) is campaigning for another opportunity at the 145-pound title after defeating former Bellator dual-champ Patricio Freire at UFC 314 earlier this month. However, that didn't stop Topuria from analyzing Rodriguez's style and explained why he isn't too fond of it. "I don't know what to tell you about Yair Rodriguez. I'm not a big fan of him," Topuria said in a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience." "He's the type of guy that you don't even need to take him down, he goes to the ground himself. He's like very spectacular the way he fights, the striking, the kicks he throws and all that, but I'm not a big fan of him." On the contrary, Topuria is a fan of how his past two opponents fight, whom he knocked out in back-to-back title fights. "I'm a fan of Volk (Volkanovski) and Max Holloway," Topuria said. "Actually, they were the smartest guys that I ever faced inside the octagon. I felt that they were smart. They had that fight IQ. They know how to fight."
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MMA Junkie Radio #3558: Michael Chandler's statement, Yair Rodriguez wants next, more
MMA Junkie Radio #3558: Michael Chandler's statement, Yair Rodriguez wants next, more Thursday's episode of MMA Junkie Radio with "Gorgeous" George and "Goze" is here. Thursday's episode of MMA Junkie Radio with "Gorgeous" George and "Goze" is here. On Episode 3,558, the fellas dive into the latest stories in the world of MMA with PFL being the only major organization in action this week. Following UFC 314 in Miami, Yair Rodriguez wants the next featherweight title shot, Michael Chandler releases a statement after his loss to Paddy Pimblett, and more. Tune in!
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Yair Rodriguez Confident Alexander Volkanovski Rematch Next
Yair Rodriguez Confident Alexander Volkanovski Rematch Next Yair Rodriguez speaks to MMA Junkie's Danny Segura following his win over Patricio "Pitbull" at UFC 314 in Miami.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC 314 reaction, Ian Machado Garry, Yair Rodriguez, Jean Silva, Dominick Reyes and more
The Ariel Helwani Show | UFC 314 reaction, Ian Machado Garry, Yair Rodriguez, Jean Silva, Dominick Reyes and more Alexander Volkanovski had his ultimate "y'all must've forgot" moment. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) Ariel Helwani is BACK ... IN ... YOUR ... LIFE! Join "The Ariel Helwani Show" live on Uncrowned and YouTube at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT/5 p.m. UK time as Ariel and the Boys In The Back wade through the wreckage of UFC 314 then set the table for the week to come in combat sports. Monday's rundown can be seen below. Advertisement 12 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the show by reacting the latest from UFC 314. 12:40 p.m. ET: Jean Silva stops by following his big stoppage win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314. 1:05 p.m. ET: Dominick Reyes does the same after knocking out Nikita Krylov at UFC 314. 1:30 p.m. ET: Ian Machado Garry previews his UFC Kansas City headliner against Carlos Prates. 2:15 p.m. ET: Yair Rodriguez joins after his dominant UFC 314 win over Patricio Pitbull. Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show" live every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page. To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
