MIAMI – Expect Mexico's Yair Rodriguez to have a Dagestani touch on his return to the octagon.
"El Pantera," who fights this Saturday on the main card of UFC 314 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Kaseya Center, promises to show a much more versatile and complete game, as he faces former Bellator champion Patricio Freire. It's no secret that Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has needed to polish his wrestling attribute, and he says that was the focus ahead of this fight.
"That's right, I've made a lot of changes," Rodriguez told MMA Junkie in Spanish at the UFC 314 media day on Wednesday. "The thing Islam says, 'Send him two, three years to Dagestan and forget,' well, my coach is from Dagestan. He's been for some time training at VFS with my coach. He's the head coach of wrestling, and he was a world champion. He's also friends with Islam and Khabib and all those guys.
"So I'm happy and confident on his style of wrestling and what he's taught me and all he's pushed me. He's made me better. Also, all the other coaches, too. I'm incredibly happy. I'm also evolving my jiu-jitsu with my coach Alberto, a jiu-jitsu black belt. And obviously sharpening my striking with my coach Mike."
Rodriguez feels he's coming in with a new focus and a new version of himself. Despiute being a long-time title contender and a UFC interim featherweight champion, Rodriguez believes he's underperformed the entirety of his UFC career.
He's now set partying and other distractions aside and wants to prove to the world, but more importantly himself, that he is capable of becoming undisputed UFC champion.
"I want to show results for me," Rodriguez said. "You obviously want people to see, but I also want to show myself I'm capable of getting there."
Rodriguez is hoping to beat Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Saturday, and lock a title shot at Noche UFC in Guadalajara, Mexico on Sept. 13. Although confident in his wrestling, Rodriguez thinks he will get it done by keeping the Brazilian at bay at UFC 314.
"Simply because of the height advantage, he's much shorter than me, so obviously he's going to try to look to close the distance and try to connect shots from up close," Rodriguez explained. "At a distance, he obviously has no chance, so there's no way around it, he's going to look to close the distance, and I'm going to try to keep him long range."
More UFC!
UFC 314 video: Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett hit marks for Miami co-feature
UFC 314 video: Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes make weight for Miami title ...
