Yair RodriguezJohn Locher/Associated Press
Welcome back to TGIFighting, where we talk to top fighters, preview the weekend’s combat sports action and make crotchety observations about the combat sports news of the day. Ready? Let’s proceed.
It’s been a pretty good year for MMA. Dominant champions coming into full fruition, drama at every turn, the meteoric rise of otherworldly new talents and a slew of memorable highlights to boot.
Now, as 2021 enters the home stretch, here comes Yair Rodriguez (13-2 [1]) leaping back onto your television screen.
The Chihuahua, Mexico, native and one of the most electric knockout artists on the UFC roster is back in action Saturday, when he faces Max Holloway (22-6) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 197. It’s hard to imagine a world in which this isn’t the No. 1 contender fight for the 145-pound division.
Max Holloway (right) kicks Calvin KattarHandout/Getty Images
Rodriguez isn’t a perfect fighter, but when his standup is on, it’s elite. He’s a legitimate test for the former champion in Holloway, who’s on any rational short list for the UFC’s best boxer. Cage rust is a big consideration for Rodriguez, and it largely explains why he’s a massive +525 underdog on DraftKings.
Even at those odds, Rodriguez is an electric competitor whose return should be lauded, if for no other reason than as an excuse to remember his incredible highlight reel. To get you set for his return, here are all three of Rodriguez’s UFC knockouts, listed in chronological order.
Flying Round Kick On Andre Fili, 2016
It’s easy to see here why Rodriguez turned so many heads in the early years of his UFC career.
This sequence, capped by a worthy-of-an-action-movie jumping switch kick walkoff knockout of a solid veteran in Andre Fili (21-8 [1 NC]), shows the fluidity and diversity of Rodriguez’s striking.
He always keeps opponents guessing. In this case, Fili guessed wrong, ducking straight into Rodriguez’s onrushing shin.
Manhandling BJ Penn, 2017
Well before Rodriguez dropped aging legend BJ Penn (16-14-2) for good in the opening seconds of Round 2, the momentum of the fight was not in question.
Rodriguez took what could have been an easy 10-8 first round, landing 37 strikes to Penn’s four, according to UFC Stats. Penn made it out of the first on sheer grit, only to be mercifully—and that’s truly the right word for it—finished 24 seconds into the next frame.
It marked another sad chapter in Penn’s decline—it was the fourth of seven straight losses to end his UFC career—but it served to put over the young up-and-comer. It’s the circle of life.
Legendary Last-Second Elbow Knockout of Korean Zombie, 2018
Looks like we saved the best for last. This could well be my favorite UFC knockout of all time.
At the tail end of 25 grueling, back-and-forth minutes, it looked like the main event of UFC Fight Night 139 was headed to the scorecards. And then lightning struck.
A gassed Rodriguez threw some kind of falling down, upside-down elbow strike that somehow connected with Chan Sung Jung’s chin. The bizarre angle made it look like an optical illusion. Zombie slumped over unconscious, Rodriguez dropped to the mat in pure exhaustion, and one of the most memorable bouts in UFC history was complete. Both men wound up in the hospital with injuries sustained during the fight.
Was there luck involved in that final elbow strike? Sure. But the semi-conscious Rodriguez had astounding instincts, too. And in any case, when something that miraculous happens, luck has to be part of the equation.
We’ll see if Rodriguez has more magic up his sleeve against Holloway. If nothing else, it should be a lot of fun to watch him try.
Saturday’s Under-the-Radar Fight
The UFC Fight Night 197 early main card pits two talented fighters who are both still searching for consistency under the UFC banner.
Song Yadong (left)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Despite winning only two of his last four, China’s Song Yadong (17-5-1 1 NC) remains an intriguing name in the bantamweight division. On Saturday, he faces a dangerous boxer in Julio Arce (17-4).
Under the bright lights, each man will have a chance to make a statement and show they’re putting it all together.
Still only 23 years old, Song throws fast and furious, and his ground game isn’t bad either. A natural athlete with speed to burn, he looks to come forward and overwhelm opponents with his deceptive power.
Arce may have breathed new life into his career earlier this year, when he won his bantamweight debut with a second-round knockout of Andre Ewell (17-8). Although he’s mainly a striker, he’s also comfortable on the ground with a solid wrestling game.
With both men surely looking to put on a show, it’s hard to imagine this one going the distance. If it does, we’ll be all the more entertained for it.
Wait…Is it OK to Fight on an Artificial Hip?
Frankie Edgar (24-10-1) said something interesting earlier this week.
Following his knockout loss to younger gun Marlon Vera (18-7-1), the 40-year-old Edgar casually admitted he’d competed with an artificial hip.
Frankie Edgar (right) and Marlon VeraJeff Bottari/Getty Images
“I never really made it public,” Edgar said on The Champ and the Tramp podcast (h/t MMA Fighting) about the hip replacement surgery he received in April. “That’s an accomplishment in itself, coming back from that. That’s something I wanted to prove to myself. A lot of people think you get something like that, it’s the end of something. And not only did I do it, I f–king did it quickly. I felt amazing, my hip f–king felt amazing.”
I don’t know if I’d call it an accomplishment, but it’s certainly notable. In fact, it may be unprecedented.
Maybe I’m missing one—and if so, please shout it out in the comments—but I don’t know of any other fighter who fought on an artificial hip.
Even the very prospect of that surgery was enough for Ben Askren (19-2 1 NC) to retire. Ditto Mark Coleman (16-10), the “godfather of ground-and-pound” and one of the toughest competitors in MMA history.
Even if it has been done before, it’s far out of the ordinary. Edgar deserves kudos for rehabbing quickly.
I’m not a doctor, so I’ll just say here’s hoping the former champ makes the best decisions for his own health and safety when it comes to his future as a fighter.
The Squeamish Bettor
Record to date: 24-7
We broke even last week, hitting on Kamaru Usman (20-1) but missing on Edgar, who, it turns out, did not have the quickness and stamina to steer clear of Vera. Live and learn.
Cynthia Calvillo (left)Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
This weekend, we’ll look to the undercard and the women’s flyweight division, where Cynthia Calvillo (9-3-1) is looking to avoid her third straight loss against Andrea Lee (12-5), who sustained her own three-fight skid before getting off the schneid against Antonina Shevchenko (9-4).
Calvillo is a close favorite to win at -135, and I think the fiery competitor is a lock to come through with her back against the wall.
Although Calvillo loves to strike, wrestling is her bread and butter. That will be her Alamo.
Lee is a solid grappler as well, but Calvillo should win all phases thanks to her better speed and athleticism. Lock it in.
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