Rodriguez pummels Penn for 2nd-round TKO in UFC Phoenix main event
Yair Rodriguez made BJ Penn's return from retirement an inauspicious one.
After dropping Penn with a front kick-straight right combination, "El Pantera" brought a brutal end to the all-time great's first fight in two-and-a-half years, raining hammerfists on his head to secure a TKO 24 seconds into the second round of the featherweight main event of UFC Fight Night 103 in Phoenix on Sunday.
Yair Rodríguez🇲🇽 vence BJ Penn🇺🇸 - #UFCnoCombate pic.twitter.com/KXcGFUzjF2
— Raimundo de Andrade (@andraderaimundo) January 16, 2017
The 24-year-old appeared a far more mature and calculating technician than the Rodriguez that literally spun his way to a split decision over Alex Caceres in his last outing this past August, and improved his UFC record to 6-0 with his eighth straight victory.
The Mexican native kept the high-flying antics to a minimum against Penn - 14 years his senior - but still flashed his standup prowess and freaky athleticism, promptly seizing control of the striking range and punishing the veteran's entire upper body at will with his vaunted arsenal of kicking techniques.
Pantera threatening w/ those kicks#UFCPhoenix pic.twitter.com/uKb4dJKZfi
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) January 16, 2017
The possibility of Penn's corner throwing in the towel grew realer by the second, as Rodriguez's unpredictability kept the former two-division champion from initiating the exchanges, which rendered him little more than a largely immobile target for the youngster's Taekwondo stylings.
El Pantera promptly went in for the finish in Round 2, following his knockdown of Penn with several dozen strikes to the noggin to secure the merciful stoppage.
As much nostalgia and awe as another one of Penn's beloved walkouts may have inspired, the UFC Hall of Famer had fight fans calling for a third retirement after his pitiful performance. The Hawaiian's legacy was cemented long ago, having reigned over both the UFC welterweight and lightweight divisions - among other accomplishments - in his prime, but he's found himself on the wrong end of four straight beatdowns and hasn't had his hand raised in over six years.
"The Prodigy" - still arguably the greatest lightweight to have ever graced the Octagon - now owns a professional record of 16-11-2.