Yair Rodriguez Reacts To Brutal UFC 211 Loss To Frankie Edgar

Touted as one of the hottest prospects in the sport heading into his bout against No. 2-ranked Frankie Edgar at last night’s (Sat., May 13, 2017) UFC 211 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, 24-year-old Yair Rodriguez had a chance to burst through into true title contention if he could top “The Answer.””

However, the flashy striking sensation was instead left with a bevy of questions about his complete game, as Edgar expectedly used his wrestling to ground Rodriguez for two rounds, battering him with a relentless onslaught of ground and pound to earn a doctor stoppage due to the grotesquely swollen left eye of “El Pantera.” Check out the highlights of the fight right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND66ui1hMOU

After the bout, Rodriguez posted a response on his official Instagram account with a close-up photo of the mangled eye:

Me duele por que me he rendido al deporte , he cambiado mis hábitos y mi vida , siempre entreno al máximo y cuando llego al limite siempre me empujó pero a veces no es suficiente hacer todo eso y tienes que hacer más y buscar en lugares nuevos. Se que mi performance no fue para nada el mejor y me enfrenté a quien yo sabía que sería una de las pruebas más difíciles de mi vida! Lo llegue a mencionar anteriormente y lo diré de nuevo . Una derrota me trajo hasta este punto y esta derrota no me dejará aquí tirado. Vine a esta empresa y a este mundo a enfrentarme con lo mejor de lo mejor para convertirme así mismo en lo mejor de lo mejor. Yo por lo pronto les pido disculpas por no poder completar esta meta que dije cumpliría. No digo regresare más fuerte por que no me he ido. Aquí sigo firme y con la mirada al cielo ! Que Dios sea el que juzgue mi destino y muchas gracias a todos ustedes por su cariño y amor incondicional! Ver las banderas de México ???????? y escuchar sus voces dirigirse con cariño y energía hacia mi no tienen precio! Y para detenerme tendrían primero que matarme yo no me rendiré. #wedontstop

A post shared by Yair Rodriguez Portillo (@panteraufc) on May 14, 2017 at 9:30am PDT

Here’s the translation of his reaction:

It hurts me because I have surrendered to the sport, I have changed my habits and my life, I always train to the maximum and when I reach the limit always pushed me but sometimes it is not enough to do all that and you have to do more and look in new places. I know that my performance was not at all the best and I faced who I knew would be one of the most difficult tests of my life! I mentioned it earlier and I will say it again. A defeat brought me to this point and this defeat will not leave me lying here. I came to this company and this world to face the best of the best to become the best of the best. For the time being I apologize for not being able to complete this goal that I said I would fulfill. I do not say come back stronger because I have not left. Here I stand firm and with the look to the sky! May God be the judge of my destiny and thank you all for your unconditional love and love! Watch the flags of Mexico ???????? and listen to their voices go fondly and energy towards me are priceless! And to stop me they would have to kill me first, I will not give up. #wedontstop

While it’s a definite setback for the touted future star, Rodriguez still can be the future of the UFC featherweight division if he’s able to shore up his wrestling game in a 145-pound division featuring some truly elite grinders like Edgar, Ricardo Lamas, and Chad Mendes (when he returns from suspension).

His game obviously relies on having a ton of space to unleash his awe-inspiring kicks, and we’ve seen that doesn’t always work when those kinds of fighters are pressured, most notably in the case of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

So Rodriguez most likely will not be able to summit the mountain top of the 145-pound elite until he makes some significant improvements to his mat game, which he does have the time to do.

For now, however, “El Pantera” just doesn’t have the answer for the still-elite Edgar.