There’s only one reason why Yair Rodriguez would like to be in a match against new featherweight champ Ilia Topuria in the future: ‘To f*ck him up.”
Rodriguez will be facing Brian Ortega in a co-main event match at UFC Fight Night 237 this weekend. It is a rematch between the two after “El Pantera” defeated Ortega via TKO in July 2022. The No. 3 featherweight is not interested in making a rematch against his fellow fighter, but he knows that it’s something that should still be won.
In case he makes another victory again, it should allow him to move forward in the ranking. However, the new champ has no interest in giving the top contenders of the class weight the chance to face him, saying he wants “new challengers.” For Rodriguez, nonetheless, fighting Topuria is not just about the belt.
To recall, the two have a history of dismissive comments and public confrontations, which were worsened by social media posts involving criticisms. With all that, Rodriguez has started expressing his intent to face Topuria. This still hasn’t changed, with the Mexican fighter hoping to meet Topuria soon. Yet, with the champ’s view about defending the title against the top contenders of the division, having a fight booked against him might be challenging. For Rodriguez, nonetheless, the fight is not for the title. As the fighter shared in his interview during the event’s media day, he might make the move even outside the octagon.
“I would love to f*ck him up,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t want to fight him, I want to f*ck him up. There’s a f*cking big difference on that, just to make that clear. And anywhere I f*cking see him, I’ll f*ck him up.
“… F*ck this b*tch. I don’t f*cking like him.”
“I don’t normally get into this kind of situation with nobody, I’m really respectful. But this f*cking guy, you know, I just don’t really like him. I don’t like him. I don’t have to f*cking like him. I want to f*ck him up. That’s what I want to do.”
