Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn will make his return to fighting action tonight (Sunday, January 15, 2017) in the main event of UFC Phoenix, when he takes on No. 10-ranked featherweight Yair Rodriguez.
Leading up to their contest Penn has been unleashing a slew of trash-talk towards his young Mexican foe, claiming that when the two take center Octagon he’ll make ‘El Pantera’ look like an amateur in there with him. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting Rodriguez got his opportunity to respond to ‘The Prodigy’, stating that his actions as of late have reflected rather immaturely on the UFC Hall Of Famer:
“He’s an expert, like he said. He’s pretty good at what he does and I respect him so much. The way that he talks isn’t going to change the way that I think about him,” Rodriguez said. “He said he’s a professional and he’s been in dozens of fights. He’s acting like an amateur.
“For me, I’m not mad at him. I actually respect him so much. I don’t know why he’s mad. I mean, man, I f*cking appreciate you. I respect you so much, I don’t know why you’re mad with me. I haven’t done nothing to you, but I respect you. But if you’re mad, man, what can I do? We’re going to fight anyways, so you’re going to punch me in the face. It’s what we do.”
Penn has also insinuated that Rodriguez and his manager conspired to fight Penn since their days training together at Jackson-Wink, claiming Rodriguez believes he can make his name off of the now 38-year-old Hawaiian:
“I never asked for this fight,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know who told him that, but it was some fight that the UFC offered me and I accepted, just like he did. I don’t know who created that lie, but I didn’t ask for this fight. But now I’m here fighting him, I’m fighting a legend and I’m pretty happy.”
Despite the ongoing war of words between the two sides, Rodriguez still holds a great deal of respect for his legendary adversary, having watched Penn compete while growing up in the streets of Mexico and researching some highlights from the former K1 champ’s heyday:
“I watched him growing up,” Rodriguez said. “I watched some of his highlight videos, I liked the way that he fought and his jiu-jitsu game. I didn’t know any jiu-jitsu when I started practicing MMA, so seeing him with amazing grappling just made me want to do it even more. I remember the first time that I saw him, it was watching videos on YouTube, he was jumping out of a pool doing some strength and conditioning stuff, and doing some boxing and some fighting stuff, and I wasn’t even fighting yet.
“It means a lot, “Rodriguez continued. “It means the UFC wants me to prove [myself] one more time with this kind of fight. B.J. Penn is a two-time former champion, two different weight classes. Few people can achieve that in their careers. B.J. Penn is one of those guys and he knows what it takes to be a champion. You want to fight those kind of guys. This is just going to be amazing for me because he has a lot of experience and I can absorb that too.”
Rodriguez and Penn will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 103, live on FS1 from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona tonight (Sunday, January 15, 2017).
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Although he’ll be stepping into the cage with Rodriguez to go to war come Sunday night, Penn holds a great deal of respect for his opponent, or anyone who decides to make the walk to the Octagon for that matter, but believes that the experience and skill gap will be very visible when it’s time to throw-down: