5 Defining Moments: Gregory Rodrigues

Gregory Rodrigues provides the Ultimate Fighting Championship with consistent entertainment—a valuable commodity in this day and age.

The 32-year-old Kill Cliff Fight Club standout will once again attempt to wow the crowd when he meets former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Christian Leroy Duncan in a UFC 304 middleweight showcase on Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Rodrigues steps back into the spotlight still operating on the fringes of a Top 15 ranking at 185 pounds. He has secured 13 of his 15 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, seven of them inside one round.

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As Rodrigues closes in on his forthcoming clash with the once-beaten Duncan, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Access Denied

Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance rep Jordan Williams wiped out Rodrigues with punches in the first round of their middleweight confrontation during Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues melted 2:19 into Round 1, closing the book on his six-fight winning streak. Williams made the most of his third DWCS invite. He walked through a sweeping right hand and a glancing head kick, backed the Brazilian to the fence and staggered him with a counter left hook. Seeing Rodrigues’ knees buckle, he then flurried with punches against the cage and kept throwing until the job was done.

2. Big-Ticket Item

Rodrigues put away Josh Fremd with first-round punches and laid claim to the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight crown in the LFA 108 headliner on May 21, 2021 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fremd checked out 2:20 into Round 1. The Factory X export chose to engage Rodrigues in in a tit-for-tat battle, as he sent out a probing jab and controlled the center of the cage for a time. “Robocop” staggered Fremd with an overhand right, drove him to a seated position and cut loose with hammerfists. Rodrigues hit the reset button once it became clear a finish was not in the cards and fired off punches, knees and a few standing elbows before floating back into open space. He then marched forward and uncorked a devastating two-punch volley—a right cross tipped his spear—that sent Fremd crashing to the canvas. No follow-up shots were necessary. Rodrigues arrived in the UFC two weeks later.

3. Speed Bump

Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Armen Petrosyan enjoyed a successful Octagon debut, as he eked out a contentious split decision over Rodrigues in their featured UFC Fight Night 202 attraction on Feb. 26, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Michael Bell and Tony Weeks struck 29-28 and 30-27 scorecards for Petrosyan, while Douglas Crosby scored it 29-28 for Rodrigues. Petrosyan answered the Brazilian’s relentless pressure with stiff jabs, stinging leg kicks and well-conceived punching combinations. Rodrigues moved forward with no regard for his own well-being and landed the most significant blow of the fight in the third round, where he caught the ducking Academy MMA rep with a kick to the face. Petrosyan wobbled and then steadied himself but suffered significant damage to his nose. He responded later in the period, fought fire with fire and did just enough to hand Rodrigues his first loss in the UFC.

4. No Retreat, No Surrender

Rodrigues overcame a horrific horizontal cut between his eyes to cut down Chidi Njokuani with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 210 co-main event on Sept. 17, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 1:27 into Round 2. Njokuani walked the Brazilian into a brutal knee strike to the face in the first round—accompanied by an audible crack, the impact sliced opened a gash that stretched from one eye to the next—and swarmed for a possible finish, blood streaming from the wound. Rodrigues refused to back down, returned fire and eventually hurt the onetime Tachi Palace Fights titleholder with right hands, clinch uppercuts and elbows. Njokuani had little left in the tank at the start of Round 2. Rodrigues bullied him to the canvas, postured in a kneeling position, let his hands go and prompted the stoppage. The two men received $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses for their efforts.

5. As Pleased as Punch

The notoriously durable Brad Tavares succumbed to punches from Rodrigues in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 236 middleweight feature on Feb. 10, 2024 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Referee Jason Herzog waved it off 55 seconds into Round 3. Rodrigues simply had more horsepower at his disposal. He tore into Tavares’ lower lead leg with kicks, backed him up with punches and incorporated takedowns when opportunities arose. Rodrigues unleashed a hellacious barrage of power punches early in the third round, fired a knee up the middle and reset in open space. He then pushed Tavares to the fence and cut loose with a volley of right hands to the head that had “The Ultimate Fighter 11” semifinalist ducking for cover and forced Herzog to act.