Frankie Edgar vs. Yair Rodriguez Results: Winner and Reaction from UFC 211

Many believed that Yair Rodriguez vs. Frankie Edgar was a case of too much, too soon for the hot prospect. At UFC 211, those people were proved very, very correct. In a contest so lopsided that it’s hard to even consider it a “fight,” the former l…

Many believed that Yair Rodriguez vs. Frankie Edgar was a case of too much, too soon for the hot prospect. At UFC 211, those people were proved very, very correct. In a contest so lopsided that it’s hard to even consider it a “fight,” the former lightweight champion scored one of the most decisive wins of his career over El Pantera.

Right from the get-go, it was clear where the fight was going. Edgar pressed the action early in the first, with his technical boxing generally trumping Rodriguez’s wild, lunging strikes. A takedown came before long, and Rodriguez wouldn’t get up until the horn sounded and mercifully halted Edgar’s smothering top game.

The second round picked up right where the first left off. After a brief striking engagement, Edgar landed a takedown. While Rodriguez briefly threatened with a kneebar, Edgar was settled into top position before long, and rained down punches and elbows until the horn.

That would mark the end of the fight. With Rodriguez’s left eye swollen shut and colored various shades of purple and yellow, Edgar was declared the winner by TKO via injury at 5:00 of the second round.

It’s a brutal turn for the high-flying Mexican. Rodriguez entered the cage at UFC 211 as one of the most interesting talents in the UFC, and one of the few remaining testaments to the organization as a talent-building entity.

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, Rodriguez turned the heads of American fans with his blistering pace and wild striking, and established himself as the first Mexico-born male top prospect in MMA history. That early success didn’t slow down, either, as he worked his way up the rankings, and amassed a six-fight winning streak with very little difficulty.

That success, coupled with his strong marketability, made him a fighter that should have been slowly nurtured into the UFC’s next big star. Instead, they opted to throw him into the deep end of the featherweight talent pool against, arguably, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the game today.

While this doesn’t end Rodriguez’s career by any stretch of the imagination—he is just 24 years old in a division where fighters age quickly—this is a major setback for him and a bout that, unfortunately, shaves time off his very promising career.

Edgar, despite the win, remains on a career treadmill. Despite the fact that The Answer is unquestionably an elite-level talent at 145 pounds, his two losses to on-paper champion Jose Aldo lock him out of title contention for the time being. Worse, if Aldo defeats Max Holloway at UFC 212 in June, the timetable for another shot at gold is extended indefinitely.

There are various ways he could find his way to a shot at the belt, sure.

Aldo could lose the title at some point…but Aldo didn’t become one of the UFC’s most dominant champions by luck. Edgar could return to 155 pounds and resume his chase after Conor McGregor…but with McGregor potentially boxing Floyd Mayweather, it’s completely unknown when (or if) he may come back. He could drop down to 135 pounds and potentially get an immediate title shot…but a hard career reboot and adventurous weight cut at 35 years old isn’t necessarily wise.

As such, nobody really gained anything from this fight. Not Edgar, not Rodriguez, not the UFC and not the fans. On paper, Edgar is the winner but really, it feels like this fight only had varying degrees of losers.

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Frankie Edgar Dominates Yair Rodriguez In Two Brutal Rounds

Frankie Edgar (22-5-1) decimated Yair Rodriguez (10-2) and made his left eye look like an enlarged softball. Edgar looked to close the distance early in the fight. Rodriguez threw a knee to the body in a brief clinch. “The Answer” was aggressive going for a takedown, eating a back elbow in the process. Rodriguez was

The post Frankie Edgar Dominates Yair Rodriguez In Two Brutal Rounds appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Frankie Edgar (22-5-1) decimated Yair Rodriguez (10-2) and made his left eye look like an enlarged softball.

Edgar looked to close the distance early in the fight. Rodriguez threw a knee to the body in a brief clinch. “The Answer” was aggressive going for a takedown, eating a back elbow in the process. Rodriguez was taken down and tried moving to half guard. Edgar landed some shots in top control. He dropped some elbows with “El Pantera” looking to control the wrist.

Edgar dropped a series of strikes. A cut formed underneath the left eye of Rodriguez along with significant swelling. The round ended with Edgar in top control.

Rodriguez threw some kicks with urgency at the start of the second stanza. Edgar dumped his opponent to the mat. “El Pantera” went for a knee bar. Edgar fought it off and hit his opponent with an elbow. He moved to full mount. Rodriguez rolled, but Edgar landed some elbows to the closed eye of “El Pantera.” The round ended and Rodriguez’s left eye was in bad shape.

The fight was stopped due to the damage on Rodriguez’s left eye.

Final Result: Frankie Edgar def. Yair Rodriguez via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) – R2, 5:00

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Yair Rodriguez on Title Shot: ‘Why Would I be Here if I Weren’t Looking For That?’

Yair Rodriguez is making it clear that he wants Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold. “El Pantera” is in for the biggest fight of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. He’ll go one-on-one with former UFC lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar this Saturday night (May 13) as part of UFC 211. Rodriguez had a session […]

Yair Rodriguez is making it clear that he wants Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold. “El Pantera” is in for the biggest fight of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. He’ll go one-on-one with former UFC lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar this Saturday night (May 13) as part of UFC 211. Rodriguez had a session […]

UFC 211 Embedded (Ep. 4): Champion, Challenger Meet Up

We get an interesting meeting between UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and challenger Jessica Andrade highlighted on the fourth installment of UFC 211: Embedded. Jedrzejczyk defends her title Saturday night in the co-main event vs. Andrade from Dallas. The two, though, run into each other while making their way around the fighter hotel. Andrade also […]

We get an interesting meeting between UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and challenger Jessica Andrade highlighted on the fourth installment of UFC 211: Embedded. Jedrzejczyk defends her title Saturday night in the co-main event vs. Andrade from Dallas. The two, though, run into each other while making their way around the fighter hotel. Andrade also […]

Frankie Edgar Feels Title Shot is Within Reach With Win at UFC 211

Frankie Edgar believes another title shot is in his future should he defeat Yair Rodriguez. “The Answer” meets “El Pantera” inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas for UFC 211. Edgar, who is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, has yet to hold gold in the 145-pound division. Speaking with MMAJunkie.com, […]

Frankie Edgar believes another title shot is in his future should he defeat Yair Rodriguez. “The Answer” meets “El Pantera” inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas for UFC 211. Edgar, who is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, has yet to hold gold in the 145-pound division. Speaking with MMAJunkie.com, […]

Frankie Edgar Won’t Get Caught Up In Yair Rodriguez’s Hype

Yair Rodriguez may be one of the most talked about featherweights in the UFC today, but Frankie Edgar isn’t concerned with the hype. The 24-year-old Mexican striker has been mustering up a great win streak in the UFC, as he earned his sixth consecutive victory under the promotion’s banner with a second round knockout win

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Yair Rodriguez may be one of the most talked about featherweights in the UFC today, but Frankie Edgar isn’t concerned with the hype.

The 24-year-old Mexican striker has been mustering up a great win streak in the UFC, as he earned his sixth consecutive victory under the promotion’s banner with a second round knockout win over UFC Hall Of Famer BJ Penn. Now he will get a huge step up in competition when he takes on two time 145-pound title challenger Frankie Edgar at the UFC 211 pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas this weekend (Sat. May 13, 2017).

With his dynamic knockout ability, Rodriguez has been dubbed the next big think in the featherweight division and could prove that to be true with a win over Edgar in Dallas.

During a recent appearance on the Fight Society Podcast, Edgar expressed his confidence heading into his fight wight “El Pantera” claiming the Mexican has yet to challenge anyone on his caliber (quotes via FOX Sports):

“I think this is going to be a big jump, not a little jump but a big jump from what he’s used to,” Edgar said. “But he’s got this hype around him. People believe in him. The UFC must believe in him to put him in this position and they’re hoping big things for this guy. He’s a Mexican fighter, I know they really want to get into that market and he brings a flashy style, an exciting style so the fans are into him.

“But yeah, this is definitely going to be a big jump for him. He’s definitely done a great job in his previous fights, but I know he hasn’t fought anybody like me or at least my level.”

Many people seem to be overlooking the former lightweight champion as fight night in Dallas approaches, given the fact that he isn’t the most flashiest guy inside the Octagon. Edgar will be taking on one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC’s roster today, leading many to believe that the young 145-pounder may have Edgar’s number.

Edgar is reluctant to buy into that hype, however, and is prepared to go into “The Ultimate Proving Ground” and show why the people closest to him believe in him:

“I feel like it comes up a lot for me. Maybe I’m not the biggest mouth or the flashiest guy in the world and people want to overlook me,” Edgar said. “The people that matter, my teammates, my coaches, my family, they know the deal. They know the work I put in, they know the skills I possess.

“I’m not concerned with the hype he’s got. I’m just going to go in there and do what I do. If I do what I do, I know I’m going to get my hand raised.”

Photo by Yahoo Sports

While Edgar can appreciate Rodriguez’s flashy style inside the cage, he believes that the man with the soundest fundamentals will always emerge victorious:

“When two good guys go at it, I think the most technical, sound guy is usually going to win. Granted, he does put himself out there and sometimes there’s big rewards in that, but there’s also some dangers. With his style, you live and die by the sword,” Edgar said.

“I think that’s something that could come up where, granted he may catch me with something crazy, but he may also put himself in jeopardy doing so.”

Although Edgar remains extremely confident in his match-up against Rodriguez, he won’t overlook the young stud. Edgar simply believes that his championship career has allowed him to step into the Octagon against the best the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has to offer – something Rodriguez has yet to accomplish:

“He’s a dangerous guy, he can spoil my future in other words or my future plans. I’ve got to make sure my Spidey senses are on full go in there with him because of the style he brings. One minute of me being lax, can cost me a win. I’m definitely not overlooking Yair. This is a big jump for him, I haven’t fought anybody like him so that’s still a challenge in itself, but I’ve been in there with the best with both weight classes and maybe I haven’t fought someone like him, but I’ve fought the best guys in the world and he hasn’t yet,” Edgar said. This is the first time he’s going to come across one of the best guys in the world.

“I do believe Yair’s going to have a bright future regardless of what happens with me and him but he’s going to have to wait some time until after our fight.”

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