When the Octagon first made its way to Mexico in November of 2014, Yair Rodriguez was just a shade over 22 years old. He won his way through The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America tournament and earned his spot in the featured prelim on UFC 180. Rodriguez was shining bright that night, representing Chihuahua, Mexico, in style and becoming the featherweight winner of TUF LATAM.
Shy of a decade later, the landscape of Mexican mixed martial arts is nothing like it was in 2014. Sure, going back long before 2014 there were fighters of Mexican descent that had experienced significant success in the UFC.