If things keep going as they are, Gregory
Rodrigues won’t be able to sneak up on the middleweight
division for much longer.
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The burly Brazilian who goes by “RoboCop” entered the UFC to
relatively little fanfare a year and a half ago, as a former
Dana White’s Contender Series competitor and
Legacy Fighting Alliance contender, but since
then he has won four of five fights, with the lone setback coming
in a split decision loss to Armen
Petrosyan last February.
Rodrigues, who turns 31 next month, had been scheduled to face
Brad
Tavares at UFC 283 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, in a bout
that would have propelled him well into the middleweight Top 10
with a win. Instead, Tavares was forced to withdraw with an injury,
and Rodrigues is now set to square off with the debuting Brunno
Ferreira in a bout that offers a very different ratio of risk
to reward. Nonetheless, the Kill Cliff FC export trusts to his team
and preparation, and expresses satisfaction with his UFC journey to
date.
Can you recap your recap MMA career, from your 2020 loss at
Dana White’s Contender Series, to joining the
Ultimate Fighting Championship and going 4-1 in
a little over one year?
“I’m living the best moment of my career. And this is only the
beginning. Regarding my loss at Contender Series, it taught me a
lot. With every step, whether good or bad, I always look back to
see what I can learn from it, so I can keep moving forward. That
loss was a bump on the road. My life has changed significantly
since then. I moved from California to Florida. This was related to
a project my church started in Florida. God blessed me with a great
new team. I joined Sanford MMA, now known as Kill Cliff MMA. This
happened when I was already scheduled to fight at LFA. It was a big
change in my life. I’m very happy with everything. Upon my UFC
debut, I already felt comfortable – win or lose. I had changed my
home as well as my way of thinking. Today I enjoy what I do. I love
being in the cage, in the world’s biggest stage. It all brought me
the excellent results I’ve had in the UFC. This is only the
beginning. It’s one dream at a time. My dream was to be signed by
the UFC. Then it was to debut. Now I have a solid base in the
promotion. I’m looking upward. I’m looking to climb the rankings
and have a shot at the title.”
What adjustments did you make to ensure the great results
you had over the last two fights?
“I’m always looking to get better, regardless of the results. I
always look for flaws. I can’t become too comfortable. Even when
things are working out, we must always keep adding new weapons.
Each step forward is a bigger challenge. I’m sure working my way up
the rankings will be even harder. I truly enjoyed my win over
Julian
Marquez after I lost to Armen
Petrosyan. I could better see my potential. I was able to see
what I could further improve regarding my striking. I have an
excellent team at Kill Cliff. We train under Henri Hooft and
Greg
Jones. A special part of my preparation is Daniel
Mendes. He’s a great friend of mine. He fully gives of himself.
He loves what he does. He’s the reason for my good results. And we
never stop looking for ways to evolve. And the results were seen
not only in my win against Julian
Marquez, but also against Chidi
Njokuani. It wasn’t easy. I was able to win after taking a hard knee. I was
very well prepared for that bout. I do
physical conditioning at IHP. I’ve improved my conditioning
after [the Petrosyan fight]. I have everything I need here. Now
it’s just a matter of patience and taking one step at a time.”
You scored three bonuses in the UFC so far. How does that
change your life?
“Bonuses can’t be counted on, but they’re always welcome.
Thankfully, I’ve been very blessed in that regard. But I remain
grounded. My wife and I limit ourselves. That money gets put away
for a rainy day. I’m very happy with the UFC.”
How do you see your next fight playing out?
“To fight at home in Brazil is additional fuel. I’m very happy with
this moment in my career, to be coming off great victories in the
UFC. Now is my time. I feel the UFC and I are on the same page. I’m
happy with how they’re treating me. I’m expecting we great win on
Jan. 21.”
How was your training camp?
“I had an excellent camp in Florida. The cool thing about Kill
Cliff is that I can choose from a variety of training partners, for
any kind of opponent. I got ready with several fighters such as
Aung La Nsang, Impa
Kasanganay and Emiliano
Sordi. My focus is to always improve the things I do well. I’ve
been working a lot on my standup. And my skill on the ground is
what differentiates me from others in our weight class. I’m feeling
very confident and well-prepared. This fight in Brazil will be
something special.”
Anything else?
“I’m glad about everything that’s been happening. My little
daughter Serena has been growing up healthy. My wife Jessica and I
are very happy with what God has brought to our lives. This will be
my first fight in Brazil in almost five years. I’m from Manaus, in
the Amazon. The UFC announces me as being from Rio, but in Brazil I
lived and started training in Manaus. It’s true that I became a
professional in Rio, but I represent the state of Amazonas wherever
I go.”