UFC headliner Yair Rodriguez comfortable as brand ambassador in native Mexico

There is no secret the UFC hopes it can develop Mexican stars as part of the organization’s long-term goal of growing its footprint in the country.

Yair Rodriguez is atop of the list of potential candidates.

The 23-year-old native of Parral, Chihuahua, is not only winning fights at a high level already, he employs perhaps the most exciting style of any fighter in the organization. He mixes leaping kicks with flying knees and isn’t averse to throwing any type of strike from any angle.

The rising featherweight star will get another chance to display his immense talent when he faces Alex Caceres in the main event of UFC Fight Night 92 on Saturday at Vivant Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.

Rodriguez, who now trains in Chicago, is fine being relied upon to help build the brand in his native country.

The UFC has done just three events in the country, as compared to 25 in Brazil and 20 in Canada. Building stars with national appeal has been a struggle. Rodriguez hopes to help change that.

“I’m representing my country, my culture and all of Latin America,” he said during an appearance on UFC Tonight this week. “I want to be the guy to grow the Mexican market.”

Rodriguez gets a main event spot on Fox Sports 1 as he tries to build on a five-fight winning streak and continue to increase his profile.

He has acknowledged in the past some coaches have tried to rein him in, but his wild style is part of what has made him so popular after just four UFC appearances.

In fact, Rodriguez said it’s all just instinct for him at this point.

“I don’t think about it,”: he said. “I practice every single day. It’s just there when I’m out there, something just goes out of me. This is who I am.”

He’s not going to change that as long as he’s winning and gaining such a following, particularly in Mexico.

Nor should he.

“He’s so unpredictable,” Fox Sports 1 analyst and former UFC star Kenny Florian said. “He’s willing to try anything. He’s always trying to confuse you. He’s fearless.”

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier credited Rodriguez with identifying his potential weaknesses and working on them in order to make his strengths even more of a weapon.

Cormier said Rodriguez knew he needed to get better at wrestling and he has made an effort to do so.

“He moved to the U.S. and trained here and gotten better, and now he can defend the takedowns,” Cormier said. “Now he’s free and can throw all those crazy strikes and kicks. From the moment he walked in on to (‘The Ultimate Fighter’), everyone knew he was the guy.”

Rodriguez won the first season of the Latin America version of the show and hasn’t looked back.

He earned a split decision win over Charles Rosa and got the unanimous nod from the judges against Dan Hooker last year. It was a flying head kick knockout of Andre Fili in April that truly catapulted Rodriguez into a position where he was tabbed to headline this card.

Still, Rodriguez knows that performance will be forgotten if he can’t beat Caceres.

“I need to prove every fight that I’m the best one out there,” Rodriguez said.

He sees a lot of similarities between himself and Caceres, who has won his last two fights since moving up to featherweight.

“It’s going to be a scrap out there,” Rodrigurez said. “He’s a lefty. He throws a lot of crazy kicks and stuff, just like me. The first guy who goes is going to be the guy who wins out there.”

Florian and Cormier both believe Rodriguez will continue his ascension toward stardom, picking him to beat Caceres in the main event of a card that airs at 7 p.m. with the preliminary card also airing on Fox Sports 1 at 5 p.m.

Two fights, including a featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Tatsuya Kawagiri, will stream through UFC’s online platform, Fight Pass, at 4 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter