LAS VEGAS – Brandon Moreno proved to Mexico that they are capable of producing UFC champions, and that includes Yair Rodriguez, who’s on the hunt for undisputed status.
Rodriguez (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) won the UFC interim featherweight title in February and looks to unify the belt at International Fight Week, this Saturday against champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 290.
Ahead of such a monumental moment in his career, Rodriguez revealed the role of Moreno’s historic win in becoming the first Mexico-born UFC champion back in 2021.
“First off, I want to express that Brandon Moreno, he’s an inspiration for me,” Rodriguez told reporters in Spanish at the UFC 290 media day Wednesday. “He was the first to win a UFC title for Mexico, and in a way, he opened my eyes.
“I’ve always known that things can be achieved. After I entered the UFC I saw that things were possible, that things were real, but he opened my eyes even more and said, ‘Look, bro. Here’s the UFC belt. Now everything beyond this depends on the individual.’ I’m proud to be sharing a card together, and that we’re representing Mexico in my case unifying the title and his defending it. But yeah, words can’t express how proud and happy I am to be in this position.”
Moreno competes in the co-main event of UFC 290, where he defends his flyweight belt against Alexandre Pantoja. This is the first time in UFC history that two Mexican fighters fight in championship bouts on a single card.
Rodriguez is happy to be making history for Mexico and pushing his country’s legacy in MMA.
“It feels like a special moment, of course,” Rodriguez said in English. “But regardless this is a special moment not only for Brandon and I, and all the Mexican people and fighters competing on this card, we’re individuals, we’re facing our own ways. Even though we’re a team, a Mexican team, we’re looking for our own legacy. I’m happy to be part of what somebody else is doing as well, like Brandon Moreno, a big story behind all of us. I’m just happy to be part of it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
Yair Rodriguez: Brandon Moreno ‘opened my eyes’ that UFC title was achievable for a Mexican fighter
