B.J. Penn plans to make Yair Rodriguez look like an ‘amateur’ at UFC Phoenix

It’s been almost three years since UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn last set foot in the Octagon, but the Hawaiian still believes he’s a step ahead of 24-year-old Mexican prospect Yair Rodriguez, who he will face at UFC 103’s main event on Sunday.

Penn, a former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, was originally scheduled to face Dennis Siver last year, but that bout fell through after Siver cited an injury. ‘The Prodigy’ was then slated to face MMA veteran Cole Miller, but Penn was forced to withdraw after his admitted use of an IV in an out-of-competition drug test.

After serving a six-month suspension, courtesy of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Penn is now ready to make a statement in his return against Rodriguez on Jan 15.

Rodriguez, a winner of seven straight, earned notoriety for his spectacular flying head kick knockout of Andre Fili last year, but Penn plans to make him look like an amateur when the cage door closes on Sunday.

“I’m a fan of everybody, I respect everyone,” Penn told MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti in a recent interview. “I’m proud of everybody who decides to take this path in life and chooses this profession. And I think he’s very good, a very solid opponent,” Penn said. “But a lot of people are going to be surprised when I get out there. It’s going to look like a professional against an amateur. That’s what’s going to happen, and Yair is going to be surprised, his coaches are going to be surprised. They’re going be like, ‘oh, I thought this we were going to come between this easy fighter and his big name.’ But we’re going to see. They’re going to see.”

The featherweight bout between Rodriguez and Penn will headline UFC Fight Night 103 on January 15 at Arizona’s Talking Stick Resort Arena.