Two months ago, at the UFC 314 press conference, former Featherweight title challengers Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez ignited the stage with a heated verbal clash over long-standing bad blood, teasing an epic future showdown.
After Lopes fell short against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314, a bout with “El Pantera” seemed inevitable, especially for the upcoming Noche UFC Fight Night in San Antonio, Texas, this summer.
But that fight’s off—for now—because Rodriguez reportedly declined the offer.
Lopes called out Rodriguez on Instagram: “Hey, Yair Rodriguez, I heard you turned down a fight with me at UFC Noche. Where’s the guy who faced me at the press conference?”
Four hours later, Rodriguez fired back on Instagram, confirming the offer and expressing frustration and disappointment.
“Right now, I’m on my way to support Ignacio Bahamondes at his next fight in Baku,” Rodriguez said. “Everything has turned into a circus. Honestly, I saw somewhere that that p—sy Diego Lopes is saying I don’t want to fight him, and that’s absolutely not the case. I was a little disappointed with the UFC because they recently offered me that fight.
“Let’s rewind a bit. When I had the opportunity to fight Diego, he said no because I was coming off a loss. Now he’s coming off a loss and wants to fight me. That doesn’t make sense to me,” Rodriguez continued. “Another thing is, I’ve got no problem fighting him. If you ask me, I’d rather fight him in the damn street because a fight with him in the company doesn’t do anything for me. They’re not going to pay me more, and it doesn’t put me in a better position either because he’s coming off a loss….I haven’t turned down the fight. On the contrary, I’d be more than happy to fight this little piece of shit and his whole shitty team.”
Rodriguez also revealed he’s managing an injury that might require surgery, which he’s trying to avoid.
Another possible reason for passing? Rodriguez is eyeing another title shot against Volkanovski later this year. Volkanovski confirmed discussions have occurred.
But who is anyone kidding, Rodriguez vs. Lopes is the dream Noche UFC main event, fueled by enough bad blood to thrill any fight fan.
