Yair Rodriguez Says He Can Be Bigger Than Canelo Alvarez In Mexico

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.”