Frankie Edgar recognizes the dangers that lie ahead on May 13. Edgar, who is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, will do battle with Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight tilt takes place inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas as part of the UFC 211 card. Speaking with Flo Combat, Edgar said […]
Frankie Edgar recognizes the dangers that lie ahead on May 13. Edgar, who is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, will do battle with Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight tilt takes place inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas as part of the UFC 211 card. Speaking with Flo Combat, Edgar said […]
Yair Rodriguez believes the sky’s the limit when it comes to his popularity. “El Pantera” will step inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. There, he’ll be facing former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar. The featherweight scrap will be part of the UFC 211 card. During a […]
Yair Rodriguez believes the sky’s the limit when it comes to his popularity. “El Pantera” will step inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. There, he’ll be facing former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar. The featherweight scrap will be part of the UFC 211 card. During a […]
Yair Rodriguez has some high expectations for his combat sports career. ‘El Pantera’ is approaching the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, as he takes on former two-time featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar at UFC 211 on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas. The Mexican comes off of a spectacular second round knockout
Yair Rodriguez has some high expectations for his combat sports career.
‘El Pantera’ is approaching the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, as he takes on former two-time featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar at UFC 211 on pay-per-view (PPV) from Dallas, Texas. The Mexican comes off of a spectacular second round knockout win over returning UFC Hall Of Famer BJ Penn back in January.
Rodriguez is one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC’s roster today and could be on the verge of title contention with a win over Edgar. Currently the 24-year-old is working extremely hard to achieve his ultimate goal – becoming the best fighter in the world (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“What is happening to me, this is not luck,” Rodriguez said. “I work hard every day — like, really, really hard. My coach is here; he would slap me in the face if I lied. Every single aspect of my game, I work on every (expletive) day. I wake up thinking about it, I eat thinking of it, and I train thinking all my life is around just one thing, and that’s to become the best fighter in the world. That’s it.”
Currently the biggest combat sports star in the country of Mexico is none other than boxing’s Canelo Alvarez, but Rodriguez believes he can surpass his fellow Mexican’s level of superstardom:
“I can be bigger (than Alvarez),” Rodriguez said. “Mexican people, they already have a lot of boxing stars. But they don’t have an MMA star in Mexico. It’s just me. I’m going to be that star. I’m already a star in Mexico, but I’m going to be even bigger than that, because I have all the Latin American market behind me, and part of the United States market. I have all these advantages.
“A lot of people from Brazil and Russia and Europe, they follow me; they send me messages and follow me. I feel blessed.”
While my other breakdowns have been pretty enjoyable, this fight is one that every hardcore and casual fight fan has been keeping their eyes on. Frankie Edgar versus Yair Rodriguez is a battle of old school versus new school. Does the old dog have some new tricks to throw the pup off his game or will the young hungry cub prove himself to be a world beater.
While my other breakdowns have been pretty enjoyable, this fight is one that every hardcore and casual fight fan has been keeping their eyes on. Frankie Edgar versus Yair Rodriguez is a battle of old school versus new school. Does the old dog have some new tricks to throw the pup off his game or will the young hungry cub prove himself to be a world beater.
Anyone who has seen a Frankie Edgar fight knows what to expect from the former lightweight champ. There will be punches in bunches, there will be wrestling exchanges, and, quite possibly, Edgar being hurt by a heavy shot yet surviving. While it’s something that many Frankie Edgar fans may not want to admit, the man has been hurt a great deal of times during his career. Does that mean his chin is going? Not necessarily. Does that mean there’s deficiencies in his striking game? Most certainly.
Frankie Edgar will be susceptible to kicks in this fight and he’ll need to keep things in boxing range where he can land flurries and damaging punches.
If Edgar wants to win this fight, he’ll have to make things dirty. Playing the outside angle with Rodriguez is ill advised. Yair Rodriguez wants to kick and kick often. Edgar needs to use his lateral movement a bit smarter here and close the distance every chance he gets. Pumping the jab, getting off center, pivoting back to center and throwing a cross or kick to close distance is his best option to get close to Rodriguez. Once he’s there, he’d be smart to pick up a single leg rather than reach for a double. It’s potentially a faster entry and he can use it to either transition to the double or force Rodriguez to the cage where he can disengage to throw short combinations, battle in the clinch, or work for a strong takedown.
Yair Rodriguez is a member of the new school of young talent who utilizes a traditional striking game to get the job done in his fights. The thing about his style that sets him apart from say a Stephen Thompson or Justin Scoggins is his wild streak. Rodriguez throws a myriad of different strikes, a lot of times with no initial set up except for feints or the occasional jab. He thrives in chaos and so far it’s worked well for him.
The problem there is that with such a kick heavy game, the chances of him getting taken down is extremely high, especially a fighter with such a strong wrestling game like Frankie Edgar.
What Yair Rodriguez is going to want to do in this fight is keep Edgar at a distance. Much like the flyweight bout between Henry Cejudo and Sergio Pettis, Rodriguez as the kicker is going to want to operate at a longer distance. Rather than follow his usual game plan of throwing everything and the kitchen sink at his opponents, low kicks to the calf, front snap kicks to the body and head, as well as side kicks, will keep Edgar at bay until Rodriguez can throw something more meaningful, preferably up the middle. As shown before, Frankie Edgar has an open guard at times on the feet so Rodriguez would do well to time his opponents lateral movement and have him walk into something devastating.
It’s truly an interesting fight that is all about distance. Whoever controls the distance best will get their hand raised.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Frankie Edgar is out for Yair Rodriguez’s blood at UFC 211. “The Answer” and “El Pantera” will do battle inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. Edgar will be looking to win his second straight bout, while Rodriguez is going for his ninth straight victory. Speaking with UFC.com, Edgar said he’s […]
Frankie Edgar is out for Yair Rodriguez’s blood at UFC 211. “The Answer” and “El Pantera” will do battle inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. Edgar will be looking to win his second straight bout, while Rodriguez is going for his ninth straight victory. Speaking with UFC.com, Edgar said he’s […]
We’ve all watched a mixed martial arts fight where one fighter seemed outclassed from the moment the bout was scheduled. Whether that fighter is facing skill or size obstacles, they still show up and fight, even when faced with insurmountable odds against them. Take a look at the 10 biggest mismatches in MMA history: 10.
We’ve all watched a mixed martial arts fight where one fighter seemed outclassed from the moment the bout was scheduled.
Whether that fighter is facing skill or size obstacles, they still show up and fight, even when faced with insurmountable odds against them.
Take a look at the 10 biggest mismatches in MMA history:
10. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Zuluzinho
Anytime you have what might be the beast heavyweight mixed martial artist of all time in the ring, it may always seem a little lopsided.
That fact was no better demonstrated in his 36-second destruction of Brazilian behemoth Zuluzinho.
While Zulu was a formidable 6 foot 7 and over 400 pounds of human, his ridiculous size was not enough to overcome Fedor’s unbelievable win streak and skill-set.
A straight left hand planted the big man on his bottom. Fedor attacked with lightning quick instinct, and felled his foe before he was able to get to his feet from the very first punch landed.
