Yair Rodriguez and BJ Penn (Bleacher Report)
Yair Rodriguez fought octagon legend BJ Penn back in January 2017, in a fairly lopsided contest
When Yair Rodriguez made his UFC debut, fans were startled by the sheer ingenuity of his attacks, and unique fighting style. Chael Sonnen pointed it out exactly right in a recent video on his YouTube channel that UFC commentator Joe Rogan would have his tongues tied trying to explain the moves Yair was performing inside the octagon. After starting with an impressive 5-0 record inside the UFC, the promotion would pit him against the octagon legend, the ‘Prodigy’ BJ Penn.
Pitching young fighters against octagon legends is a jaded concept according to many fans. And this fight in particular is the perfect example of that. Rodriguez’s speed, tenacity and ferocity tore through the former lightweight and welterweight champion who stood no match for him.
Rodriguez started the action with a big kick to the body from the orthodox stance straight to the solar plex. He tried to launch a spinning attack, but Penn managed to get him in a clinch. He was unable to hold the position for very long.
Penn displayed his heart throughout the fight, but he was in constant danger, right from the get go. In the end the avalanche of attacks, and pitilessness proved too much for the ‘Prodigy’ who lost the fight in the second round.
This fight, till date remains the perfect exemplar of why pitting a young warrior against a seasoned veteran towards the end of their career is not a good idea.
The talent-stacked featherweight division is witnessing some incredible fights and movement, reigned by an immovable force that is Alexander Volkanovski. Many have tried, and many have failed. Two of the best featherweights clash this weekend in an epic contest, when Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez cross paths.
Ortega has already had a shot at Volkanovski’s title once, and came the closest to dethroning the featherweight champion. But back in December 2020, Yair Rodriguez was suspended for six months by USADA.
Even though the Mexican fighter did not test positive for any banned substance, he was subject to suspension by USADA for being in violation of a rule in the anti-doping policy. Yair Rodriguez committed three Whereabouts Failures during a period of 12 months.
An important part of USADA’s testing program is the ability to test athletes without any advance notice in an out-of-competition setting. To maximize testing resources and minimize the burden on athletes, USADA has created a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) and a Clean Athlete Program (CAP).
As a member of the UFC’s Registered Testing Pool, Yair Rodriguez, and any fighter for that matter, is expected to respond to no-notice sample collections for the out-of-competition testing program.
The USADA took action, and released a statement to clarify the suspension,
“Like all UFC athletes, Rodriguez, 28, is a member of the UFC Registered Testing Pool and is therefore subject to certain Whereabouts responsibilities, which allow him to be located for testing. Accurate Whereabouts information is a crucial component of an effective out-of-competition testing program because it enables anti-doping organizations to conduct no-notice sample collections, which helps maintain effective doping deterrence and detection,”
The statement further read, “Rodriguez failed to update his Whereabouts information and was unavailable for testing at locations provided in his Whereabouts Filings on three occasions. He accrued a Whereabouts Failure in each of the first three quarters of 2020. The accumulation of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period constitutes a policy violation under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.”
Yair Rodriguez later addressed the situation by saying that fighters have an app on their phone. Every time they change locations they have to tell USADA. Rodriguez called himself a ‘Nomad’, and said he was not being professional, just losing track of updating his location.
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