Rodriguez easily dominates Penn

Three years later and not much has changed.

B.J. Penn’s latest return to the Octagon went much like his previous outings as he dropped his fourth straight fight via second-round TKO to Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 103 on Sunday in Phoenix.

Rodriguez (11-1, 6-0 UFC) ended the fight 24 seconds into the second round after dominating the first round with a multitude of kicks from all sorts of angles.

A front kick and a punch combination put Penn on the ground before Rodriguez followed it up with 20 to 25 strikes before referee Jon McCarthy finally stopped the fight.

Rodriguez is ranked No. 10 in the UFC in the flyweight division.

“I fought a legend tonight,” Rodriguez said. “He should have everyone’s respect.”

Penn hadn’t fought since losing to Frankie Edgar by third-round TKO in July 2014.

Rodriguez landed 55 significant strikes to just four for Penn, who did little to defend Rodriguez’s unorthodox striking ability.

Penn was slow on his feet and absorbed a bunch of hard strikes to the head and body as the first round wore on.

It was the first time in 24 UFC fights that Penn was stopped by an opponent in the first two rounds.

The only other fighters to finish Penn are Edgar (third round) and Georges St-Pierre (fourth round).

Penn is now 1-6-1 in his last eight fights overall and 12-10-2 in the UFC in his career.

Rodriguez’s six-fight win streak at 145 pounds trails only the nine straight won by interim champion Max Holloway in the division.

Penn did not speak to the media after the fight.