Rodríguez faces biggest fight in Mexican MMA history

This Saturday, Yair 'Pantera' Rodríguez faces the number one ranked fighter in his division, something no Mexican-born and trained fighter has ever experienced.

His opponent is Frankie Edgar, a former champion and legend of the sport, who unlike BJ Penn, is still at the top of MMA.

Rodríguez impresses in every sense, coming off two victories as the main event. He continues to surprise with his creativity and resources, but above all, he has the confidence of being a champion and soon becoming the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Since his first main event in Salt Lake City, Utah, Rodríguez added a Life Coach to his corner, Alethia Olmedo Perlasca, who guides him mentally. She does not enter the octagon with him, but has become crucial in his path to stardom, with the increase in responsibilities and the difficulty of opponents.

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After almost a year of working together, the difference in the Mexican's mentality shows. He is not talking about a dream, he is convinced that he will be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world if he maintains his concentration and keeps working. “For this fight, he has been on maintenance mode. He manages himself individually. We have only had phone sessions to reinforce. He has his audios, I send him articles related to mental development or videos. It has not been direct like before,” explained Olmedo, who has postgraduate studies in Drama Therapy, Ericksonian Therapy, and coaching in both Mexico and the United States.

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Alethia will be with him in the hours leading up to the fight, just as she was in Salt Lake City when he defeated Alex Cáceres by decision, and in Phoenix for the finish against BJ Penn. “Yair already knows. He does his mental training, immerses himself in the day-to-day, we talk to check how he is emotionally, but he has to do the work. I will see him on Saturday morning to do some focus and concentration work, whenever he needs something, he knows I am available, but he has to do his visualization and relaxation,” added the Mental Coach.

His 6-0 record, performance bonuses, and public acceptance support his aspirations for the belt, and in that sense, Olmedo only sees the need to demonstrate it in every appearance, despite the distractions growing. “If he trusts in his learning and his qualities, he will be able to achieve the goal that all fighters have. In his profession, there is a clear objective, a goal. To be a champion. But at this stage, what is perceived is that he is very focused on training, every day is the day to focus on the fight. He has to focus on training and working even though he knows that everything else is part of the same thing,” she concluded.

If Rodríguez defeats Edgar in Dallas, he will have to wait for the outcome of the title unifying fight between Max Holloway and Jose Aldo at UFC 212.