Yair Rodriguez pushes Diego Lopes grudge match aside for UFC title fight: 'Right now is fighting for that belt'
MIAMI – While fight fans might be interested in the grudge match, Yair Rodriguez prefers a rematch.
Following his UFC 314 win over Patricio Freire on Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami, Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) took a look at the featherweight land – and it’s a no-brainer what he wants next.
“Yeah, in the eyes of the fans (they want me vs. Diego Lopes), of course,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “If you ask me, if you’re in my position right now, the beef can stay aside for now. The only thing that I’m looking for right now is fighting for that belt.”
Rodriguez and Lopes are two wildly popular fighters in Mexico and Latin America, but seem to have bad blood between them. While an in-depth breakdown of the rivalry has not yet been explained, it seems Lopes and Rodriguez’s teammate and friend Marco Beltran have past history.
While the beef may continue to be a sideshow, Rodriguez wants to lock in a rematch vs. Alexander Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who reclaimed the featherweight throne with a decision win over Lopes in Saturday’s main event.
With the UFC headed to Guadalajara, Mexico for a pay-per-view in September, Rodriguez thinks the stars could align for a perfect scenario.
“Brother, Volkanovski has fights all over around the world,” Rodriguez said. “He hasn’t fought in Mexico. Guadalajara isn’t super high elevation. I think it makes sense for the UFC to bring a huge event, numbered event in Guadalajara. I think Volkanovski wll be able to run it back with me. I think he will be happy to do that.”
Rodriguez and Volkanovski fought in a title unification bout at UFC 290 in July 2023. Volkanovski defeated Rodriguez via third-round TKO. Rodriguez competed once between that fight and Saturday’s, which was a loss to Brian Ortega. However, Rodriguez indicated in the cage after the fight UFC CBO Hunter Campbell previously promised him a title fight if he got through Freire (36-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.