A UFC main event isn’t an opportunity a fighter takes for granted. It’s the one moment in MMA where everything is about you, and all the voices will speak your name.
At UFC Vegas 102 this Saturday night, Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues enters that spotlight for the first time against No. 7 middleweight contender Jared Cannonier.
“I know it’s a big step, but I believe that’s the perfect moment in my career with everything I did. It’s still my 10th fight in the UFC,” Rodrigues told Uncrowned.
“When I started, one of my thoughts was, ‘Man, I want a solid career inside the UFC. I want to build it myself first, my solid foundation, start building on top of that.’ And now I have this opportunity to fight for the rank, fight one tough guy. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait.”
Rodrigues, 32, has embodied his “Robocop” moniker throughout his run in the middleweight division. Who could forget that disgusting gash between his eyes after a knee from Chidi Njoukuani? Despite the gruesome scene, Rodrigues plodded forward like a terminator to finish his opponent, taking a lasting scar with him.
Decisions aren’t typical in a Rodrigues fight. In the UFC, the Brazilian (7-2 in UFC, 16-5 overall) has only gone to the cards on three occasions, winning twice. He’ll carry the momentum of a three-fight winning streak into his first UFC main event. Although Rodrigues could view the two additional rounds in a main event as a difficult change in pace, they’re a welcome factor, allowing for more opportunity to keep producing finishes.
“That’s one of the wrong thoughts. Like when people think, ‘I’m going to fight five rounds, so I need to do this or that,'” Rodrigues explained. “But I know, man, if you fight three rounds, you can fight five rounds. Of course, I added something more to just make sure I’m 100% ready. But I can fight.
“In my mind, I’m not going, ‘Oh, man, I have two more rounds.’ No, I have two — it’s a bonus for me. Extra rounds. It’s a bonus round. So, I’m happy with that, and I like it. I have more time. I have more time to show my work. But I don’t think the fight goes that long. I’m ready, but I don’t think it will.”
The UFC middleweight division is going through a generational shift, filtering out veterans and former champions with the new cream of the crop. Like Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho before him, Rodrigues looks to join his peers, who handed Cannonier losses in the one-time title challenger’s last two bouts.
Cannonier has been a staple within the 185-pound ranks since he emerged from light heavyweight in 2018. However, he’ll be looking to derail Rodrigues’ momentum in the evolving division.
The name in front of Rodrigues only further fuels and reminds him how the stars are aligning in his career.
“I respect [Cannonier’s] career inside the UFC, everything he did,” Rodrigues said. “Fought for the title. His last five fights were main events, tough guy, 40 years old. But I’m always thinking about myself. Who I am and what I’m ready for. If that’s the guy that’s my next challenge, that’s what I want.
“It’s special to have a guy of the caliber of him, the kind of fighter he is. I think I’m in the perfect time of my life and my career, and the fight comes in the perfect moment. I prepare myself for the best of Jared Cannonier, to battle him, and that’s what I’m expecting. I’m ready for it. I hope he comes like that. If you not come like that, it’s over for him.”
Rodrigues is further optimistic about the division’s future after champion Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 last Saturday. He admittedly didn’t get a chance to watch the big rematch yet, but it was his desired outcome, considering a Strickland win would have opened the door to a possible trilogy with “DDP.”
Khamzat Chimaev is expected to next challenge du Plessis. After that? Who will sit atop the heap of middleweight contenders when the time arrives is anyone’s guess.
“I want to be champion of the UFC in the middleweight division,” Rodrigues said. “For sure, this fight is going to be more close to my ultimate goal to fight for a belt. The division has changed a little bit. The generations changed, so many good guys come in. Imavov is right there. Caio Borralho is coming. Brendan Allen and ‘Fluffy’ Anthony Hernandez are in a fight also next week, the 22nd. So, it’s a lot of change, but that’s what I said is the perfect time to me fighting Jared Cannonier because everyone is right here, right? So, now I have time, and I just get a next fight with one of those top guys and in the middle of the year or the end of the year.
“I don’t want to put my hand where I can’t touch. My focus and everything on my mind on me is right on this fight. After that, of course, I make my plans. I know where I want to go, and I know I needed a plan for it. Without a plan, anyway, can be good? No, no, no. I have my plan, and I have the way I want to do it. That’s the next step. Jared Cannonier is the next step, after him, I’ll do my next move.”
