Yair Rodriguez

All of what I'm doing in my personal life is for fighting. Of course, I'm also doing it because I want to, but it's all based on fighting. Fighting is the most important.

I think I'm just a really lucky guy and that's why I got in the No. 1 contender spot.

Of course, I want to fight for the title.

Reactionally, we'll be there and you won't forget how to fight. You get more time to prepare for yourself. It's nothing crazy taking some time off and coming back.

I actually like that - I like taking my time off.

There is some things that you'll never heal.

My father taught me how to win and how to lose, and I'm always respectful no matter what happens.

I've been winning and losing all my life.

A loss doesn't mean anything. It just means that you're going to learn from it, and it won't happen to you ever again.

I want to learn and fix all the holes in my game, the way I always fix them.

I'm not the kind of fighter who's going to ask for a guy next. I'm just not that kind of guy.

For me, personally, it means a lot beating a legend like B.J. Penn.

I read a lot of books and I've read a lot about how to understand and interpret body language. I've studied that.

I'm OK with whatever, people are always going to talk and think or say or do things, but my job is to show them different all the time. That's what I'm here for.

I started putting myself in a bubble and it really affected me.

I think during the process of growing and becoming a star, you just stop trusting a lot of people.

Of course, Frankie Edgar's experience was a factor in that fight, but I have to be ready. If I'm fighting at the top, I have to be ready.

I never overestimate my opponents.

I used to watch Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop and all these guys fight back in the day.

I love motocross; everything that has to do with ATVs. Also hiking or running. I love swimming.

A lot of people support me because of that, because I bring an interesting style when I'm fighting. And I guess a lot of people like to see that because it's not very usual to see.

In the 'Ultimate Fighter' house I had these relationships with my opponents, they were my friends, and after the fight, nothing happened. Whatever had to happen happened and we became even more friends after that.

This is just sport for me, nothing more than that.

I'm fine with my family before the fight. I tell everybody that I love them.

You gotta understand this sport is so dangerous and things can happen. You gotta accept that before you go in there.

I've been doing martial arts since I was five, so for me competition is something that's very common.

That's the reason why you don't make it to the fights because you go in there, and you want to show off in the gym with someone else and then there are injuries.

I've shared it with my coaches and my training partners, and I always tell them, 'Don't you dare touch my face. If you hit me, I'm going to hit you.' That's how injuries start.

I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.

If you have a problem with me, then we'll have a problem. But if not, I don't have problems.

Max Holloway is one of the greatest in history.

I've been putting myself in bad scenarios, and all I can think about is growth, growth inside myself, outside myself, my body, my mind.

In the Frankie Edgar fight, my eye was completely closed. I couldn't see nothing, but I was willing to keep on going. Not everybody's the same.

I'm an MMA fighter, bro. It's what I do, it's what I live for. This is what brings food to my table and I train everyday, seven days a week.

I was born a fighter, I'll be a fighter, and I'm a champion and I know I'm a champion already.

I'm a fighter and you have to be worried about me in many areas of this fighting game.

I want to fight the best B.J Penn.

I like flashy techniques like jumping, aerial techniques. But I also like submissions.

Many things that I do during my fights I don't really do here in my trainings because I can hurt my partners or myself.

Every time, I train things differently with my coach and work on new things, so I don't always come in with the same strategy. We're always working on new things, trying to be creative.

Each fight I try to be different.

It doesn't matter who it is, I'm going to respect him the same way.

I respect everyone out there.

B.J. Penn is a two-time former champion, two different weight classes. Few people can achieve that in their careers.

I train hard, I work every single day, my coaches help me out, my people, thank you for everything.

Of course, you always want more because you think you deserve more. It's just the way that it is. Nobody is happy with whatever they have.

I accepted to fight Ricardo Lamas, but then I later learned that he didn't take the fight with me.

Not all the fighters in the UFC have the same record as me.

I know I'm still a rising star for the sport or whatever, but I know I have done a lot already.