Daniel
Rodriguez has agreed to step in on short notice to face
Kevin
Lee at
UFC on ESPN 30 later this month.
Rodriguez is a replacement for Sean Brady,
who withdrew from the matchup due to a foot infection. ESPN
was first to report the new welterweight bout. UFC on ESPN 30 takes
place at the UFC Apex on Aug. 28 and is headlined by a
featherweight clash between Edson
Barboza and Giga
Chikadze.
The 34-year-old Rodriguez has been victorious in five of his six
promotional appearances dating back to February 2020, with his only
defeat coming against Nicolas
Dalby. Most recently, the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu representative
defeated Preston
Parsons via first-round technical knockout at UFC on ESPN 26 on
July 17. Rodriguez owns notable wins over the likes of Mike Perry
and Tim
Means.
A former interim lightweight title challenger, Lee will make his
170-pound debut against Rodriguez. “The Motown Phenom” has lost
three of his last four outings, including a third-round submission
defeat against Charles
Oliveira in his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 170
in March 2020. Lee’s ledger includes triumphs over Gregor
Gillespie, Edson
Barboza, Michael
Chiesa and Francisco
Trinaldo.