Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight
contender Marina
Rodriguez has her eye on the prize, but she is not taking
anyone lightly on her way up. Coming from an impressive sequence of three straight wins in UFC,
top-ranked strawweight Rodriguez is aware that a win over Xiaonan Yan
at
UFC 272 on March 5 would be huge. An impressive performance
could thrust her into title contention, which would give her a
chance to realize her dream of fighting for a UFC title. Should she
get that far, she expects that she would face the winner between
the champion Rose
Namajunas and former foe and challenger Carla
Esparza. The Brazilian spoke with Sherdog this week about her
upcoming battle and what lies ahead in her division.
“That was not officially decided by UFC, but the fact that Esparza
already defeated Namajunas shows that it must be the revenge that
makes sense,” Rodriguez smartly noted. “But my focus now is 100% on
Xiaonan, [who] is a very tough opponent.”
In her last time out, Rodriguez battled World Jiu-Jitsu champ
Mackenzie
Dern for five tense rounds. The second round proved most
dangerous, as she was forced to grapple with Dern for its entirety,
and it ended up as the only round she lost on the scorecards in
that fight. Despite that danger, Rodriguez revealed that Round 2
with Dern was not the most difficult moment of her career.
“Definitely, my biggest mental challenge was my first UFC win
against Jessica
Aguilar in Philadelphia [at
UFC on ESPN 2],” Rodriguez explained. “That fight, I could test
my mind in the worst scenario. She shifted my elbow in the first
round, [and] I fractured my hand in the second round. And even with
two both eyes bruised, I kept calm and aware about what I should
do. Definitely, that was the fight where I challenged my mind
through the limit, and overcame it with a victory. Against
Mackenzie, we were sure I would go to the ground, I just knew that
I had to keep calm to impose my strategy as I did.”
When asked about the tactical game she is expecting from Yan,
Marina stated that she is well-trained for all areas.
“We always have in mind that the strikers want to test themselves
with me, and of course against Yan will be no different,” Rodriguez
said. “She must try to impose her Chinese boxing, but [now that]
she is training in Team Alpha Male, I believe she will try to test
me on the ground too. But I’m prepared for plan A, B, C and D.”
The lone loss of her career came in 2020, when she fell short by
contentious split decision to Esparza. While she would not be
opposed to getting the rematch for a belt, and the chance for
revenge, the potential opportunity to face two-time champ Namajunas
is just as intriguing.
“I would love to fight both,” she remarked. “In my opinion, what
will decide the fight is Rose being able to control the distance.
If Carla is able to shorten the distance, I think she can hold
Namajunas in the ground and win. In that one, I have no clue…my
focus now is 100% [to] win my next [fight] and do my part to
finally have a title shot.”
