When it comes to Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights on the verge of a breakout, Daniel Rodriguez has to be among the names fans should expect to learn sooner rather than later.
A veritable action fighter with heavy hands and a nasty front headlock, Rodriguez (15-2) has excelled since joining the UFC roster in 2020. At UFC Vegas 35 on Saturday, he will try to keep that going with a main-card fight against Kevin Lee.
Daniel Rodriguez’s UFC start had some hiccups
The Californian’s first brush with the Octagon came in 2019 when he won a unanimous decision against Titan FC veteran Rico Farrington on Dana White’s Contender Series. UFC boss Dana White however declined to sign Rodriguez.
“I wasn’t blown away by the performance tonight… I think that this guy is talented; I think he’s a good fighter. He came out to fight tonight but just didn’t give me that thing I was looking for tonight,” White said on that night.
But after a second-round technical knockout in his next fight — a title-clinching performance for regional promotion SMASH Global — Rodriguez had done enough to earn that highly coveted UFC contract.
“D-Rod” has been nearly flawless ever since. Going 5-1 in his UFC tenure and compiling three finishes and a “Performance of the Night” bonus. Rodriguez has faced a solid slate of opponents, including veterans Tim Means, Mike Perry, and prospects Dwight Grant and Preston Parsons. His lone loss came at the hands of former interim Cage Warriors champion Nicolas Dalby by way of a unanimous decision in 2020. To which he followed up with two straight W’s.
Rodriguez’s power could be a problem for Kevin Lee at UFC Vegas 35
In all of his outings, fans have been impressed by Rodriguez’s punching power.
“Daniel came to me incredibly shy, but he could hit like a mule,” kickboxing legend Kathy Long told UFC.com in April about working with Rodriguez. “If you had ever seen some of his amateur fights, he was knocking them out cold and he wasn’t doing it with any finesse at all. But he was in there to beat the crap out of whoever was in front of him.”
His technique refined, Rodriguez poses a serious threat in the welterweight division. On August 28, the 10th Planet purple belt will face Lee (18-6), a brash former interim UFC lightweight title challenger making just his second foray into 170-pound waters. Rodriguez took the fight on short notice after Lee’s original opponent, Sean Brady, was forced to withdraw due to injury. But Rodriguez isn’t worried about the short notice, as he’s been raring to go since shellacking Parsons in July.
“I feel like I’m in my prime right now, and I’m in no position to take time off or take my time,” Rodriguez told MMAJunkie. “It’s my time right now and I feel like it’s go time. As active as they want to keep me.”
With a win over Lee, Rodriguez may well introduce himself to MMA fans as the next big thing at 170 pounds.
UFC Vegas 35 takes place on Aug. 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will kick off at 7 pm ET on ESPN+. Main card action follows at 10 pm ET and will simulcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
–Field Level Media
