Gregory
Rodrigues began the UFC
Vegas 102 main event like a man on a mission.
Advertisement
However, after dropping Jared
Cannonier twice in the opening stanza, the hard-hitting
Brazilian began to fade, ultimately falling to his veteran opponent
via fourth-round technical knockout this past Saturday at the UFC
Apex in Las Vegas. “Robocop” never looked the same after that
strong first round, and as it turns out, there might have been a
good reason for that decline.
“Cannonier is a highly experienced fighter who taught me a lot in
this fight! I saw several details that can be improved—things that
will be changed. Winning ‘Fight of the Night’ was a gift for two
warriors who weren’t afraid to go to battle,” Rodrigues wrote on
Instagram. “Most people don’t know this, but I had serious issues
to recovery after weight cut—my body just wasn’t responding. I keep
wondering how things would’ve played out if I had been at 100%.
“But no sad stories here—Robocop never dies! Time to recharge,
reset the system, and upgrade, ‘cause I’m just getting
started.”
Prior to UFC Vegas 102, Rodrigues had won five of his last six
Octagon appearances — finishing four of those victories via
knockout or technical knockout. The 33-year-old
Kill Cliff FC representative is 7-3 during his tenure with the
Las Vegas-based promotion.