“I believe that I have evolved in everything,” she says of her recent success. “Both on the ground and striking, I’ve evolved a lot and today I feel very confident as an athlete. Being in the top three, I feel ready for great challenges.”
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The catalyst for that stellar run was her only career loss in 16 fights vs Carla Esparza in July 2020. It stung, and going a dozen fights without tasting defeat didn’t make it easier. But Rodriguez is heartened by the fact that the loss is to the likely next challenger for the strawweight title and propelled by the prospect that she can perhaps take the title for herself if she gets the chance to avenge that loss.
Sounds simple in theory, but of course there’s a challenge in the form of Yan Xiaonan standing across from her on the prelims at UFC 272: Covington vs Masvidal. The Chinese standout has followed an arc similar to that of Rodriguez, putting together an undeniable six-fight win streak before suffering her only UFC loss…to Carla Esparza. As such, both women have “Cookie Monster” in their sights, and both know what they must do to get that opportunity. That determination, coupled with a similarity in thrilling standup styles makes this a matchup fans need to circle on their fight cards Saturday night.
“Certainly,” agrees Rodriguez. “We’re two strikers, and if she really wants to stand with me, I’m sure it could be considered the Fight or Performance of the Night. I think she will come with a lot of desire to win, and that’s important to me, because my style matches even better when the opponent is looking for a fight.”
Yan is looking for precisely that. Some have referred to the bout as a possible title eliminator and, to that end, Rodriguez has been putting in the work.
