The 29-year-old strawweight is set to make her Octagon debut at UFC 273 on Saturday night after an impressive showing on Dana White’s Contender Series last fall. Rodriguez has complied at perfect 7-0 record, with all but two of those victories coming by knockout.
The former LFA strawweight champion is taking in all the moments leading up to her walk on Saturday night.
“I’m very happy, I’m feeling a lot of emotions right now, but it’s weird because I’m very excited, but I have an inner peace because I feel like I’m in the right place at the right moment,” Rodriguez said. “I’m enjoying this process a lot and you’re going to see it.”
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The night will be special for Rodriguez, who is getting to make her debut on a pay-per-view card in front of a full crowd in Jacksonville.
“What else can I ask as a fighter, having a performance in front of such a big crowd in such a big event with such big fighters like this card?” Rodriguez said. “There’s nothing else I can ask. Life is finally giving me back all that I’ve been working for, so I’m very excited and I’m so grateful.”
Her opponent on Saturday night is 22-year-old Kay Hansen, who is the second youngest woman on the UFC roster. Hansen made her flyweight debut last time around against Jasmine Jasudavicius, where she fell on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecards. It was her first fight since 2020 after taking 2021 off to deal with some personal health issues.
