Rodriguez showed his poise in the opening stanza, weathering the ferocious initial attack from “El Niño Problema,” and once the fight hit the second round, the long-time Roufusport representative took over, dominating the action the rest of the way to claim a unanimous decision victory and halt the momentum of the ascending Dana White’s Contender Series graduate.
Order UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo
The fact that he missed weight is a slight knock against Rodriguez in an otherwise terrific weekend, and despite having just nine fights prior to his UFC 287 assignment, he fought with an impressive level of composure and calmness, which is something you don’t always see from young fighters in the early days of their UFC careers. He was heralded as one to watch heading into his own Contender Series appearance, where he earned a victory, but not a contract, and has since validated those forecasts with a steely effort against Pearce and a pair of victories in his weight class.
Bantamweight is absolutely loaded with talent at all levels, and the road forward will be a treacherous one, but Rodriguez is technically sound with sharp fundamentals, which will always serve him well, and if he can continue to patiently navigate his way forward, he could eventually emerge as a Top 15 fighter in the 135-pound weight class.
