Sometimes the UFC matchmakers’ jobs are made that much easier when a fighter calls and just asks for a certain opponent.
According to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby, that’s how the featherweight fight between Yair Rodriguez and Frankie Edgar came together for UFC 211.
Shelby says he actually took some heat from fans for putting together the bout but all he really did was grant Rodriguez’s request after he made the call that he wanted to face Edgar next.
“I think I got a fair amount of hate for making this fight. The funny thing is I’m not the guy who actually made this fight.