“Special” Jon Jones Moment as a Young Up-and-Coming Fighter a Major Reason Behind His UFC Success Claims Interim Champ Yair Rodriquez

Yair Rodriguez has already made a big name for himself in the UFC. The interim UFC FW champion is all set to square off against the UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. The Mexican fighter’s current record stands at 15 victories and three losses, whereas Volkanovski has achieved a whopping 25 victories and just two losses. There is no doubt that the bout between the two has the potential to blow the roof off the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

‘El Pantera’ stepped into the world’s biggest MMA promotion after he won The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. His UFC debut was against Leonardo Morales at UFC 180 in 2014. After the three-round bout, he won the fight via unanimous decision. Recently, Rodriguez revealed his early days of training. While he was training in Albuquerque, ‘El Pantera’ impressed UFC legend Jon Jones. Rodriguez still remembers how the words of the UFC Heavyweight champion inspired him to be a better fighter.

Jon Jones’ great words for Yair Rodriguez

Yair Rodriguez was talking with ESPN about his upcoming bout against Alexander Volkanovski. During the conversation, he mentioned how ‘Bones’ helped him boost his confidence. While ‘El Pantera’ was training in Albuquerque, Mexico, the UFC Heavyweight champion approached him and asked his name. Rodriguez said, “I told him my name, and he was like, ‘Your skills are impressive. How old are you?’ And I was 20-21 years old in that moment and he said, ‘When I was 21 years old, I didn’t have those skills. You are gonna get far in the sport. Just keep going.’”

Rodriguez further mentioned that ‘Bones’ was not his friend during that time, and he was elated to hear such motivating words from the legendary fighter. He added, “It was like something really special for me. And he made me believe in myself even more.” For the Mexican fighter, Jones’ words became the fuel to fight better in his life.

His progress is best reflected in ‘El Pantera’s current status as interim champion as he prepares to face off against the current FW champion Alexander Volkanovski.

The strategy of ‘El Pantera’ against  ‘The Great’

The retired UFC star, Chael Sonnen, recently talked about the upcoming bout in UFC 290 between ‘El Pantera’ and ‘The Great’. He feels that Rodriguez is an underrated fighter who prefers to stay away from the media as much as possible. ‘The American Gangster’ believes that Rodriguez is keeping a low profile to divert the attention of the Australian fighter.

READ MORE: “Unconventional” Yair Rodriguez Better Than Demetrious Johnson in One Particular Aspect Claims UFC Legend: “He Has a Different Approach”

Even now, Volkanovski seems too preoccupied with his desire for a rematch against Islam Makhachev. According to Sonnen, Volkanovski hardly invests time in considering the strength of his upcoming opponent. Rodriguez became the interim champion after defeating the toughest fighter, Josh Emmett, at UFC 284. Now, UFC fans are eagerly waiting for the title unification bout.

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