Yair Rodriguez (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

After dominating BJ Penn at UFC Fight Night 103, and stopping the legend in round two, Yair Rodriguez credited his patience and vaunted kicks for the impressive win.

From the opening horn Rodriguez fired a steady stream of kicks at Penn, who was able to block many of them, but absorbed punishment in doing so. Then in round two, Rodriguez stunned the star with a front kick and the featherweight brought about the stoppage with follow up punches from above.

After the one sided affair, Rodriguez had this to say about his performance (quote via MMA Fighting):

“I was trying to feel it out, because I knew he probably could catch me when I threw some kicks with a big punch, so I was trying to be careful, feel him out, read him, read his movements…”

“So, my coach told me: ‘Be careful. I know you touched him a little bit, but be careful. Don’t pressure him too much. Don’t go for him, because he’s a legend. He knows what he’s doing and he can take advantage of that. So just be careful, respect him a little, and then he’s going to be there. Just believe in your kicks.’ And that’s what I did. I believed in my kicks.”

The victory was the 24 year-old’s eighth in a row. The 38 year-old Penn, who was fighting for the first time since 2014, is winless in his last five bouts.

UFC FN 103 took place in Phoenix, Arizona.