Yair Rodriguez Decimates BJ Penn With Violent Precision
UFC Fight Night 103’s headliner saw Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer B.J. Penn (16-11-2) take on rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez (9-1). This was Penn’s first bout since July 2014. “The Prodigy” had come out of retirement.
“El Pantera” came into the bout on a seven-fight winning streak. The No. 10 ranked 145-pounder looked to move past the former two-division champion and face a top 10 fighter.
Things got ugly for Penn quick.
A body kick from Rodriguez followed by a straight punch landed to start the fight. He went for a spinning kick, but Penn pushed him against the fence. Rodriguez got out of the position.
He went high with a kick, but it was blocked. A jumping switch kick was block by Penn. Rodriguez landed a knee to the body. A right hand from Penn found the target.
A hard high kick got Penn off balanced. Rodriguez threw a jumping knee. He threw a spin kick to the body. An inside leg kick had Penn on the canvas briefly. Rodriguez had a cut on the bridge of his nose.
Rodriguez landed a front kick. He kept throwing hard kicks high and to the body. An uppercut in the clinch landed for Penn, but Rodriguez answered with a knee to the body as the round ended.
At the start of round two, Rodriguez dropped Penn with a front kick followed by a straight punch. He landed numerous hammerfists before referee John McCarthy stopped the fight.
Final Result: Yair Rodriguez def. B.J. Penn via TKO (Strikes) – R2, 0:24
