Catching Up With Gregory Rodrigues

If things keep going as they are, Gregory Rodrigues won’t be able to sneak up on the middleweight division for much longer.

The burly Brazilian who goes by “RoboCop” entered the UFC to relatively little fanfare a year and a half ago, as a former Dana White's Contender Series competitor and Legacy Fighting Alliance contender, but since then he has won four of five fights, with the lone setback coming in a split decision loss to Armen Petrosyan last February.

Rodrigues, who turns 31 next month, had been scheduled to face Brad Tavares at UFC 283 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, in a bout that would have propelled him well into the middleweight Top 10 with a win. Instead, Tavares was forced to withdraw with an injury, and Rodrigues is now set to square off with the debuting Brunno Ferreira in a bout that offers a very different ratio of risk to reward. Nonetheless, the Kill Cliff FC export trusts to his team and preparation, and expresses satisfaction with his UFC journey to date.

Can you recap your recap MMA career, from your 2020 loss at Dana White's Contender Series, to joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship and going 4-1 in a little over one year?

“I’m living the best moment of my career. And this is only the beginning. Regarding my loss at Contender Series, it taught me a lot. With every step, whether good or bad, I always look back to see what I can learn from it, so I can keep moving forward. That loss was a bump on the road. My life has changed significantly since then. I moved from California to Florida. This was related to a project my church started in Florida. God blessed me with a great new team. I joined Sanford MMA, now known as Kill Cliff MMA. This happened when I was already scheduled to fight at LFA. It was a big change in my life. I’m very happy with everything. Upon my UFC debut, I already felt comfortable – win or lose. I had changed my home as well as my way of thinking. Today I enjoy what I do. I love being in the cage, in the world’s biggest stage. It all brought me the excellent results I’ve had in the UFC. This is only the beginning. It’s one dream at a time. My dream was to be signed by the UFC. Then it was to debut. Now I have a solid base in the promotion. I’m looking upward. I’m looking to climb the rankings and have a shot at the title.”

What adjustments did you make to ensure the great results you had over the last two fights?

“I’m always looking to get better, regardless of the results. I always look for flaws. I can’t become too comfortable. Even when things are working out, we must always keep adding new weapons. Each step forward is a bigger challenge. I’m sure working my way up the rankings will be even harder. I truly enjoyed my win over Julian Marquez after I lost to Armen Petrosyan. I could better see my potential. I was able to see what I could further improve regarding my striking. I have an excellent team at Kill Cliff. We train under Henri Hooft and Greg Jones. A special part of my preparation is Daniel Mendes. He’s a great friend of mine. He fully gives of himself. He loves what he does. He’s the reason for my good results. And we never stop looking for ways to evolve. And the results were seen not only in my win against Julian Marquez, but also against Chidi Njokuani. It wasn’t easy. I was able to win after taking a hard knee. I was very well prepared for that bout. I do physical conditioning at IHP. I’ve improved my conditioning after [the Petrosyan fight]. I have everything I need here. Now it’s just a matter of patience and taking one step at a time.”

You scored three bonuses in the UFC so far. How does that change your life?

“Bonuses can’t be counted on, but they’re always welcome. Thankfully, I’ve been very blessed in that regard. But I remain grounded. My wife and I limit ourselves. That money gets put away for a rainy day. I’m very happy with the UFC.”

How do you see your next fight playing out?

“To fight at home in Brazil is additional fuel. I’m very happy with this moment in my career, to be coming off great victories in the UFC. Now is my time. I feel the UFC and I are on the same page. I’m happy with how they’re treating me. I’m expecting we great win on Jan. 21.”

How was your training camp?

“I had an excellent camp in Florida. The cool thing about Kill Cliff is that I can choose from a variety of training partners, for any kind of opponent. I got ready with several fighters such as Aung La N Sang, Impa Kasanganay and Emiliano Sordi. My focus is to always improve the things I do well. I’ve been working a lot on my standup. And my skill on the ground is what differentiates me from others in our weight class. I’m feeling very confident and well-prepared. This fight in Brazil will be something special.”

Anything else?

“I’m glad about everything that’s been happening. My little daughter Serena has been growing up healthy. My wife Jessica and I are very happy with what God has brought to our lives. This will be my first fight in Brazil in almost five years. I’m from Manaus, in the Amazon. The UFC announces me as being from Rio, but in Brazil I lived and started training in Manaus. It’s true that I became a professional in Rio, but I represent the state of Amazonas wherever I go.”