“They don’t use me as a rag…” Ilia Topuria BRUTALLY responds to Yair Rodriguez’s comments on Spanish featherweight
Yair Rodriguez recently took aim at peer Ilia Topuria’s resume claiming he yapped his way into a title shot.
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Ilia Topuria fires back at Yair Rodriguez for critiquing his UFC 298 title shot yield (Source: IMAGO/Twitter)
UFC’s Yair Rodriguez is characteristically famous for his insolent slurs. The fighter went viral for calling UFC legend Michael Bisping a ‘b**ch’ after his no-contest against Jeremy Stephens. This was at UFC Fight Night 159, before winning his rematch. However, Ilia Topuria isn’t having any temperamental behaviors of the featherweight peer. Before Topuria gets to face reigning champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, the fighter has slammed Rodriguez in great detail.
Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges Volkanovski in the Feb. 17 headliner at Honda Center (Anaheim, Calif). In the lead-up, the 145lber has been engaging in stern banters with Volkanovski, in response to claims of coming for the ‘0’ in his stats. However, he does not extend the same courtesy to all. Rodriguez recently downplayed Topuria’s resume greatly. Here’s what Topuria replied in an interview with ‘KOlmenero:’
They have not been giving me big fights because I’ve been talking, but because I have been winning, which is something that differentiates him and me...I don’t win fights because my opponent’s [Ortega] shoulder pops out. I don’t win because they beat me up, and in the fifth round he [Jung] took an elbow that I don’t even know where it came from. They don’t use me as a rag in the fights...Ilia Topuria said
Alexander Volkanovski returns to the Octagon at UFC 298. The 26-3 striker puts his pursuit of double-division glory on hold for the time being. Ahead of the matchup, Topuria has made some bold commitments, voicing scary warnings and ultimatums to the champion.
But the 27-year-old Spaniard insists it’s his performances in the Octagon that speak for themselves. Topuria also gibed that he was in pale comparison to him; that Rodriguez would be ‘all talk’ and no mettle. This diss comes at the cost of Rodriguez saying that he ‘talked too much sh*t‘ and earned a title shot.
Yair Rodriguez believes Ilia Topuria earned his title shot by talking too much
Featherweight Ilia Topuria runs things with reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. However, keen with intent, rival Yair Rodriguez has slammed his legitimacy to a title contention shot.
Undefeated Topuria is coming off two dominant wins over Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett. But former interim champion Rodriguez (16-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) believes the Spaniard’s brash confidence has propelled him to the chance.
Subsequently, here’s what the fighter prompted, speaking with MMA coverage journo Mike Owens of MiddleEasy.com:
Frankie Edgar, BJ Penn, Max Holloway – for me to get one title shot, you know I have to go up, down, up, down, up, down, and because this guy just talked so much sh*t, they just give him the opportunity, you know? And I’m OK with that, too. He will have to face me, he’ll have to face Max, he’ll have to face somebody like Ortega, or Volkanovski, and then we’ll see what he’s made of...Yair Rodriguez said
Rodriguez will look to bounce back from his title loss to Volkanovski at UFC 290. He will take on Brian Ortega in a UFC Fight Night co-headliner on Feb. 24 in Mexico City. Rodriguez won after Ortega suffered a shoulder injury during a grappling exchange in their first meeting at UFC on ABC 3 in 2022.
Having lost to ‘The Great’. he consequently believes the latter to have more tools to win against Topuria, if Volkanovski can reel back from his UFC 294 skid.
As such, Rodriguez does not bank much on Topuria’s mettle at all.
In case you missed it:
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Gerard Crispin
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