This one got the boss OUT OF HIS SEAT 😱
Imanol Rodriguez gets the first round finish!
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#TUF33 airs on Tuesday | 10pmET ] pic.twitter.com/Fmkwj3Ug8B
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter)
June 11, 2025
Imanol
Rodriguez left a lasting impression on Dana White.
The 25-year-old Mexican punched his ticket to the flyweight
semifinals with a first-round technical knockout victory against
India’s Arshiyan
Memon on Episode 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter 33. The finishing
sequence brought the UFC CEO out of his cageside seat in
appreciation.
“That’s one of the best fights I’ve seen in a minute,” White
said.
After a kick from Memon landed below the belt early and resulted in
a brief pause in the action, Rodriguez went on the attack. About 90
seconds in, the Team Cormier representative connected with a body
kick that had Memon on the retreat. Rodriguez swarmed with
ground-and-pound in pursuit of the finish, but Team Sonnen’s Memon
was able to regain his bearings and return to his feet.
Shortly thereafter, Rodriguez sprawled on a takedown and
transitioned to the back. He briefly flattened Memon out, and then
assumed full mount as his adversary attempted to scramble out of
danger. Somehow, Memon returned to his feet and went on the
offensive with a barrage of punches.
“This fight’s got me on the edge of my seat, man,” White said.
Memon’s rally was only fleeting, however. Rodriguez took control
with a series of right hands to the head that had his opponent
covering up and moving backward. Rodrigez continued to tee off
until referee Mark Smith
had seen enough and waved off the fight for a standing TKO.
“The punches he was landing on the outside, you could hear the
impact,” said Rodriguez coach Daniel
Cormier.
On the losing side, Chael Sonnen
had nothing but praise for his charge
“Arshiyan was presented with three opportunites to quit that
fight,” Sonnen said. “He chose to fight.”
Team Cormier is now up 2-1 on Team Sonnen, and White was buzzing
about the potential of Rodriguez in the aftermath of the
finish.
“Imanol looks like the kind of fighter we want in the flyweight
division,” White said.
Next week, Team Cormier’s Jefferson
Creighton will collide with Team Sonnen’s Andreeas
Binder in a welterweight scrap.
“All I ask is the best fight of the season,” Creighton said to his
foe during their faceoff at the end of the episode.