Yair Rodriguez believes he and fellow Mexican champ Brandon Moreno, who together help headline this Saturday’s UFC 290 in Las Vegas, are quite literally changing history — at least as far as Mexican sporting history is concerned.
Speaking at Thursday’s UFC 290 pre-fight press conference, Rodriguez and Moreno both told Cageside Press what winning on Saturday while representing Mexico would mean to them.
“That’s a simple question and a big question as well,” replied Rodriguez, who currently holds interim gold at featherweight, and is set to face Alexander Volkanovski in a title unification bout in the UFC 290 main event. “It means the work that we have put in, each [individually] but together at the same time, as a Mexican teammate at the same time if you want to see it that way, it’s been years and years working on this dream. And we’re changing literally the history of Mexico, not only in MMA but in sports.”
“And if that doesn’t say enough, I don’t know what else to say, because we’re literally changing the way sports are being seen in a whole country, and that’s big enough.”
Rodriguez was the second Mexican-born fighter to win a UFC championship, this past February, and was followed by Alexa Grasso in March. But it was flyweight champ Brandon Moreno, who captured undisputed 125lb gold in January of this year, who was first to etch his name in the record books.
“For me, man, I think this is a huge statement for Mexican mixed martial arts. I’m just happy for my country, I’m happy for Latin America in general,” Moreno said of what winning on Saturday would mean. “Because I think, actually UFC is started to be known [in Mexico].”
“We’re good in combat sports, and I’ve said this before,” continued Moreno, noting the many Mexican champions in boxing, and gold medals collected by Mexican boxers at the Olympic Games. Even beyond boxing, “in Taekwondo for example,” Moreno added. “We are good throwing punches, just we needed the support, we needed the opportunities, and obviously on our side we just need the discipline and the sacrifices. But man, we are ready for the biggest stage in mixed martial arts.”
The pair will share that stage this Saturday, with UFC 290 capping off this year’s International Fight Week.
