Tag: Yair Rodriguez

Movsar Evloev reacts to Yair Rodriguez’s call for title shot after UFC 314: ‘You have to beat me first’

Movsar Evloev doesn’t think Yair Rodriguez has done enough to deserve a UFC title rematch against Alexander Volkanovski.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] wants his crack at the UFC featherweight title. And if that doesn’t happen, he wants whomever the UFC sees as the No. 1 contender.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has campaigned for a title shot for quite some time, but he hasn’t been able to secure it. He’s hoping to be next now that there’s a champion in the division, given that Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant belt this past Saturday in the main event of  UFC 314 in Miami.

However, fan-favorite [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] also wants in, which could be problematic for Evloev’s title dreams.

“Yair, if you want to fight for the title, you have to beat me first, and then you deserve it,” Evloev told MMA Junkie.

Rodriguez called for a rematch with Volkanovski after defeating former Bellator champion Patricio Freire at UFC 314. Evloev said the Mexican had a good showing but still not enough to merit a championship fight as he was coming off two consecutive defeats.

“I think it was the best fight for Yair Rodriguez in forever, and with ‘Pitbull,’ he’s a dangerous opponent, but I don’t think that’s enough to fight for the tile,” Evloev said. “Because he had his chance, and he just skipped it.”

Evloev is training and ready to fight in a UFC championship fight whenever needed. He’s even willing to sit on the sidelines should Volkanovski need more time before a title defense.

“If Volkanovski is looking for the fight with me, I can wait and improve myself and stay ready, improve my skills, everything,” Evloev said. “Even if it’s like September, October, December, it doesn’t matter. I can wait as much as he needs. But if they have another one for the title, I’m not going to wait too much.”

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Yair Rodriguez pushes Diego Lopes grudge match aside for UFC title fight: ‘Right now is fighting for that belt’

Yair Rodriguez snapped a two-fight skid at UFC 314. Now could he be in line for a title shot?

MIAMI – While fight fans might be interested in the grudge match, [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] 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. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]), 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. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (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.”

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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.

 

 

Alexander Volkanovski down for Yair Rodriguez or Mosvar Evloev after UFC 314 title win

Alexander Volkanovski reflects on his UFC 314 title win against Diego Lopes, and what’s next for his storied MMA career.

MIAMI – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] wasn’t picky in his first title reign, and he will carry that same energy heading into his second.

Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) won the vacant featherweight title on Saturday night, defeating top contender Diego Lopes (27-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 314, which took place at Kaseya Center.

This victory marks his second title reign, as he was previously UFC featherweight champion from 2019 through early 2024. Volkanovski is happy to be champion once again, but not entirely satisfied with the way he got it done.

“I feel like he was there to be hit. I feel like I could’ve done a lot more,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 314 post-fight press conference. “I just didn’t pull the trigger as much as I’d like – even though there were shots, I just stick out the jab, and it was right there. I could’ve done a lot more, but I’m my hardest critic.

“I’ll watch it back, and then we’ll see, but obviously everyone kind of counting me out, ‘Oh, is he done?’ Obviously I took some shots and I didn’t go lights out. That’s good. A lot of people probably thinking that’s what would’ve happened, so I guess I’m glad I got to feel that bounce back from a little adversity.”

As far as what’s next, Volkanovski acknowledged [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez [/autotag], as the two main candidates to be the next challenger.

“Yair was saying he wants the title shot,” Volkanovski said. “He’s a good dude. I like him a lot. If the UFC want to give it to him, I’m not going to stop that for him, but yeah, if I’d be honest, before that fight, I don’t think he’d be getting the shot. Now that he’s calling it, I’m not going to be the one saying no. I’m going to leave everything to the UFC. Obviously you’ve got Mosvar, he’s undefeated, and I would love to that that zero. We got to see what the UFC says.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

UFC 314 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett combine for $12,000

Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett combined for a $12,000 payout under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program at UFC 314.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 314 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $300,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 314 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 314 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marco Tulio[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,579,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $33,597,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

UFC 314 results: Yair Rodriguez spoils debut of ex-Bellator dual champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’

Yair Rodriguez put on a largely one-sided affair at UFC 314, spoiling the debut of Bellator GOAT Patricio ‘Pitbull.’

[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] left no question who was the better fight Saturday at UFC 314.

Over the course of three rounds, Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) proved to be an unsolvable puzzle for debuting Bellator legend [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who he defeated by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Both fighters were patient in Round 1, but the fight took place at Rodriguez’s ideal distance. “Pitbull” did not open up much, though he seemed relatively comfortable – slapping the areas of his body Rodriguez hit after each strike.

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In Round 2, “Pitbull” opened up a bit more and found success with his grappling but was unable to do much with it.

Round 3 was when “Pitbull” got the most aggressive, but after a few successful strikes was almost immediately put on the canvas by a Rodriguez punch.

“Pitbull” survived the onslaught from Rodriguez and threatened an armbar in the final minute that had the crowd buzzing. However, Rodriguez evaded danger as the two scrambled to their feet seconds prior to the bell.

After the fight, Rodriguez said in his in-cage interview with Joe Rogan that UFC CBO Hunter Campbell had promised him a title shot with a victory. He called for that shot at UFC 318 in September in Guadalajara, Mexico.

With the win, Rodriguez snapped a two-fight skid that included losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Saturday’s fight was his first competition since February 2024.

In defeat, “Pitbull” drops his first post-Bellator/PFL fight. The consensus Bellator GOAT, “Pitbull” expressed displeasure with the new promotional regime after Bellator and PFL merged. He competed once for PFL before he publicly asked for – and was granted – his release. He is now 1-3 in his most recent four.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 314 results include:

‘Flawless performance’: Fighters react to Yair Rodriguez’s spoiling Patricio Freire’s debut at UFC 314

The MMA community reacted to Yair Rodriguez’s dominant decision over Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at UFC 314.

[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] delivered on his promise to play spoiler for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s octagon debut when he came out of the UFC 314 main card opener with his hand raised.

After losing his past two fights, Rodriguez (19-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) showed on Saturday that he shouldn’t be discarded as a title threat in the featherweight division. The former interim champ earned a unanimous decision victory over former two-division titleholder “Pitbull” Freire (36-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Rodriguez beating Freire at UFC 314.

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What time is Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire? Walkouts for UFC 314 fight

Here’s when to expect Yair Rodriguez and Patricio “Pitbull” to make their cage walks at UFC 314 in Miami.

At long last, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] will make his UFC debut. His featherweight fight with [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] scheduled for three rounds will take place Saturday, April 12 at UFC 314 from Kaseya Center in Miami.

Freire, 37, comes to the UFC after being one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history, where he was a two-division champion and holds the promotion record for most wins (24). Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) successfully was granted his release from the PFL after it did away with Bellator as a brand, and now he has a chance to make an immediate impact in the UFC featherweight division.

Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), 32, is a former interim UFC champion who is currently ranked No. 5 in the official rankings at 145 pounds. He’ll enter the bout on a two-fight skid after being finished back-to-back by Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

When does the UFC 314 fight card start?

The UFC 314 lineup consists of 13 fights. Early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET, prelims at 8 p.m. ET, and the pay-per-view main card at 10 p.m. ET.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire walkout time

  • Rodriguez and Freire are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET.
  • The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

UFC 314: Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 314 odds between Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round featherweight bout on the main card, Yair Rodriguez and Patricio Freire meet at UFC 314 Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s odds around the UFC 314: Rodriguez vs. Freire odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Disney+), while the prelims start at 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+) with the main card beginning at 10 p.m. (Pay-per-view).

Records: Rodriguez (20-6-0) | Freire (36-7-0)

Rodriguez, a former champ, has dropped each of his past 2 bouts. He topped Josh Emmett at UFC 284 with a Round 2 submission to snatch the belt. However, he was dropped via KO/TKO in Round 3 against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290. He followed that up with a Round 3 submission loss to Brian Ortega in a fight night in late Feb. 2024 in his most recent bout.

Freire — nicknamed “Pitbull” — makes his way to the UFC after a successful run in Bellator. In fact, he won a championship bout at the Bellator Champions Series in Belfast last time out, knocking out Jeremy Kennedy in his most recent fight March 22, 2024. That win halted a slide in the previous 2 bouts.

Rodriguez takes the walk with a 5 1/2-inch reach advantage, while he holds a 4.65-to-2.84 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The difference in significant strikes-accuracy percentage is rather negligible, as is both fighters’ work in the takedown average, takedown-accuracy percentage and submission average. It comes down to experience, age and reach advantage, all of which are on the side of the former UFC champ Rodriguez.

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UFC 314: Rodriguez vs. Pitbull odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:43 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Rodriguez -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Pitbull +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
  • Total rounds: 2.5 (Over -185 | Under +140)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -150 | No +110)

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UFC 314: Rodriguez vs. Pitbull picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

RODRIGUEZ (-155) is a good play as a moderate favorite against Pitbull in his UFC debut.

The former champ has a ton of experience, but honestly, Freire have a lot of experience, too. Even though his experience was at the Bellator, it has been very good in recent years.

However, the reach advantage is the biggest factor, as is youth and quickness. “El Pantera” is 32 years old, and the former Mexican UFC champ has that 5 1/2-inch reach advantage. Rodriguez will be able to push and pull Pitbull in and out at his discretion, keeping him at a distance, when need be.

Over/Under (O/U)

Over 2.5 Rounds (-185) will cost nearly 2 times the potential return, and that’s too much risk and not enough reward.

NO (+110): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a good play at plus-money. Rodriguez hasn’t gone the distance in the past 4 fights, and Pitbull hasn’t needed the help of the judges in his past 2 Bellator fights.

As such, let’s look for a stoppage in his intriguing UFC battle. RODRIGUEZ BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+275) will net nearly 3 times the potential return on the 5-way line.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire prediction, pick, start time for UFC 314

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom goes inside the Patricio Freire vs. Yair Rodriguez featherweight bout at UFC 314.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 314 main card at Kaseya Center in Miami. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Last event: 4-2
UFC main cards, 2025: 32-27-1

Patricio Freire vs. Yair Rodriguez UFC 314 preview

Former Bellator champion Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut on the big stage of a UFC pay-per-view main card. At 37, Freire may not have much tread left on the tires. He enters this contest on the heels of a TKO win over Jeremy Kennedy last March. The win snapped a two-fight skid: a super short-notice replacement fight against Chihiro Suzuki under the Rizin banner and a unanimous decision loss against Sergio Pettis in a challenge for the Bellator bantamweight title. … Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) enters this fight looking to shake off back-to-back losses to Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski in a title unification bout. Rodriguez won the interim featherweight title at UFC 284 by submitting Josh Emmett in February 2023.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire UFC 314 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the paid portion of the card is a solid featherweight fight between Freire and Rodriguez.

As a longtime fan of “Pitbull,” I’m happy to finally see Freire competing for the world’s MMA leader. However, I can’t help but wonder if Freire has come over to the UFC too late at 37 years of age.

To make things worse, the UFC matchmakers did decide to go the Joe Silva route in regards to booking low key difficult debuts that are typically a mix of stylistic challenges and comical height differences.

I don’t blame any for picking Rodriguez, who will be live for everything from head kick knockouts to sketchy decision wins. That said, I have a hard time trusting Rodriguez’s fight I.Q. given the fact that he’s just as likely to slip on his own banana peels with the choices he makes.

From electing to close his guard with his back toward to fence to his repeated willingness to want to grapple with hurt Brian Ortega, Freire supporters may not even have to bank on the Brazilian’s underrated wrestling ability this weekend.

Add in the fact that Freire’s countering game still appears to be intact, and I’ll take a flier on the underdog to capitalize on the Mexican’s mistakes.

The pick is for Freire to win by unanimous decision.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire UFC 314 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Rodriguez -196 and Freire +158 via FanDuel.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Freire UFC 314 start time, how to watch

Freire and Rodriguez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:20 p.m. ET. The fight streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Video: UFC 314 full final faceoffs for stacked card in Miami

Final faceoffs for the utterly stacked UFC 314 are complete and saw the 13 fights square up at ceremonial weigh-ins.

MIAMI – UFC 314 ceremonial weigh-ins are in the books, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Saturday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place at Kaseya Center, which hosts the card (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).

A vacant featherweight championship fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes headlines the card, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a deep lineup of high-profile matchups, including, but not limited to, Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett, [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag], [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag].

Check out the video above to see highlights of the ceremonial weigh-in staredowns from the 13 scheduled bouts at UFC 314.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.