Marina Rodriguez’s Singular Focus

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Marina Rodriguez understands a time crunch better than most.

A late arrival to the mixed martial arts party, the Brazilian was 27 when she made her professional debut. Nevertheless, Rodriguez rose out of the regional scene, drew an invite to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series and arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018, a little more than three years after she first dipped her toes into the sport’s waters. She now finds herself knocking on the door to title contention at 115 pounds.

Nothing has happened by accident.

“We remained focused on our fast plan since I started late in martial arts,” Rodriguez told Sherdog.com. “I was 25 years old when I had my first muay Thai class in 2013. Once I got signed by the world’s biggest MMA promotion, the goal was to face top opponents right away instead of simply making money. I wanted to fight the best so I could evolve even more quickly.”

So far, so good. Rodriguez owns a 5-1-2 record inside the Octagon and will carry a three-fight winning streak into her UFC 272 pairing with Xiaonan Yan on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Another victory could conceivably put her in position to challenge Rose Namajunas for the women’s strawweight championship in the not-too-distant future.

“I know Yan will come after me with a passion since she’s below me in the rankings and she’s coming off a loss,” Rodriguez said. “My current objective is to make it past her in the best possible way so I can reach my goal of fighting for the belt. Yan is super tough. She had been on a great winning streak prior to her last bout, but she hasn’t faced someone tougher than her.

“Her standup game is very aggressive, as is mine,” she added. “I think that should result in a great fight. In the end, all my opponents end up resorting to Plan B, which is to try to take me down. The hard work I’ve been putting in and my evolution inside the cage will be big factors in this next battle. It will be a very interesting fight.”

Rodriguez turned heads in her most recent assignment, as she laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Mackenzie Dern in the UFC Fight Night 194 main event on Oct. 9. Dern entered the match on the strength of four consecutive wins, only to be outpaced by a 144-49 margin in significant strikes. Rodriguez refuses to rest on her laurels.

“My goal is to show that I deserve a title shot,” she said. “I can’t afford to wait around for my shot. I need to stay active and maintain my rhythm. Last year was a perfect year, with three wins in a row. It makes me feel very motivated about 2022 and about reaching my ultimate goal: the championship belt.”

In advance of her three-round battle with Yan, Rodriguez stayed close to home at Thai Brasil and continued her pursuits under longtime mentor Marcio Malko. “I had my first muay Thai class with him, and we’re still working together,” she said. “He created me in the fight world and made me the athlete I am today.” Jiu-jitsu coach Igor Soares and stablemates like current UFC women’s flyweight contender Taila Santos, Invicta Fighting Championships veteran Daiana Torquato and Shooto Brazil alum Andressa Romero also play integral roles in Rodriguez’s camp. “We have excellent female fighters as training partners,” she said, “and we have a very complete structure at our academy in regards to equipment and manpower.” Rodriguez sees no need to change what works for her.

For all of her gains, a contentious split decision loss to former champion Carla Esparza in July 2020 looms large for Rodriguez. That it took place under less-than-ideal circumstances makes its presence on her resume all the more frustrating, along with the reality that Esparza currently sits ahead of her in the UFC’s women’s strawweight rankings.

“We had to be quarantined in a hotel room for the final 25 days of my training camp,” Rodriguez said. “I feel it negatively affected my ability to move properly. I believe a rematch would go very differently.”

Time will tell whether or not she gets another crack at Esparza. For now, Rodriguez’s attention remains on Yan and achieving her ultimate goal at an age when many of her contemporaries have begun to deteriorate. She turns 35 in April.

“My focus is fully on winning the championship belt,” Rodriguez said. “That’s been the goal since I started training and throughout all my bouts. Becoming a world champion in the UFC is my primary goal and that of my head coach. It’s something we’ve been getting closer to, and we will get there—no matter the cost. All my thoughts are on becoming champion. I can’t yet think past that point.”