Yair Rodriguez moving to lightweight, teammate Belal Muhammad says

Former UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez is moving up to lightweight, according to his teammate Belal Muhammad.

Muhammad, who trains alongside Rodriguez at Valle Flow Striking in Bensenville, Illinois, made the claim on social media after suggesting a matchup between the Mexican fighter and Rafael Fiziev. When a fan pointed out that Rodriguez competes at 145 pounds, Muhammad responded directly. "Nah Yair is moving up," he wrote, per Sherdog.

Rodriguez recovering from wrist surgery after Freire win

Muhammad also disclosed that Rodriguez recently had an operation on his wrist following his victory over Patricio Freire. The timeline for the weight class shift remains unclear, but the surgery could explain a prolonged absence from featherweight.

Rodriguez won interim gold against Josh Emmett in 2023 but fell short in a unification bout with Alexander Volkanovski later that year. His featherweight run includes losses only to elite names like Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Volkanovski himself. At lightweight, Rodriguez would join a packed division that includes former champion Islam Makhachev and contenders like Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira.

No official announcement from Rodriguez or the UFC has been made. Muhammad floated Fiziev as a potential opponent, writing "Fizev and Yair would be fire" after the Kazakh's spinning back kick knockout of Manuel Torres at UFC Baku last weekend.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Teammate claims Yair Rodriguez is moving up to lightweight