A Look Back Before Feb. 15

On the cusp of breaking into the UFC middleweight division’s top-15, Gregory Rodrigues faces his stiffest challenge to date when he goes up against former title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC Fight Night 251. 

Gregory Rodrigues’s Door To MMA Elite Blocked by  Middleweight Luminary 

The bout will mark the Brazilian’s first-ever promotional main event, but for the ranked Cannonier, it is all but familiar territory, as it will be his sixth headlining fight in a row since July 2022.  

Since dropping down from light heavyweight in 2018, Cannonier has proven himself a top name in the 185-lb class, picking up notable wins over standout competitors like Kelvin Gastelum, Marvin Vettori, Sean Strickland, and Anderson Silva. However, over the past year, the “Killa Gorilla” has fallen on hard times, suffering back-to-back defeats to surging contenders in Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, losing by fourth round knockout to the former. 

Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Gregory Rodrigues has the chance to boost his momentum even further with a victory against a veteran of the division like Cannonier. Stepping into the first five-round contest of his career, the hard-punching “Robocop” will be looking to make a statement win to catapult himself into the middleweight upper echelon. 

Gregory Rodrigues’ Storied Grappling Legacy Sets Foundation For MMA

While he is known today for his high-level striking game, Gregory Rodrigues’s initial martial arts base began with his home country’s national sport, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. First putting on the gi at just eight years old, he has racked up quite the reputation as a grappler, notably winning eight national titles, as well as several world championships. He also dabbled in wrestling, with him even gaining acceptance onto the Brazilian wrestling cadet team.

Making his professional MMA debut back in 2014, Gregory Rodrigues encountered middling results on the Brazilian regional scene, going 1-2 in almost his first year as a fighter. However, after losing his third-ever bout in 2015, he wound up embarking on a stellar six-fight winning streak, going undefeated for the next five years and capturing the Smash Global middleweight strap.

Gregory Rodrigues’ First Attempt At Making It To UFC 

Getting the attention of the UFC, Gregory Rodrigues was invited to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Vying for a contract to the big league, the Brazilian encountered Jordan Williams, who was making his third appearance on the show. Sadly, Rodrigues’s dream of making it to the UFC would be dashed in devastating fashion after Williams managed to knock him out in just over two minutes, ending his lengthy run in the winner’s circle. 

The defeat forced Rodrigues back to the drawing board, a time in which he competed twice for one of the most respected MMA organizations in the world, the LFA (Legacy Fighting Alliance). Having previously fought for the company back in 2019 in a fight against Tanner Saraceno, Rodrigues was slotted into the LFA Middleweight Tournament semi finals, skipping the first round entirely. Though he did miss weight for the contest, “Robocop” still won impressively with a second round finish to earn his shot in the finals. There, Rodrigues smashed future UFC alum Josh Fremd in just a single round, taking the vacant 185-lb title to cap off a spectacular return to form.

Rodrigues Finally Gets His Chance on MMA’s Biggest Stage 

His championship-winning endeavor once again enticed the UFC to reach out to him, giving him a second shot at UFC Fight Night 189 in 2021. Walking into the Octagon for the first time, Rodrigues battled Serbian standout Duško Todorović, eventually taking a hard-fought unanimous decision. Although his freshman outing in the promotion went all three rounds, his second fight did not see the cards, as Rodrigues recorded a spectacular knockout win over Jun Yong Park, netting a Fight of the Night bonus in the process. 

Beginning to pick up some momentum as a possible hot prospect, the Brazilian next came to blows with Armenian kickboxing specialist Armen Petrosyan at UFC Fight Night 202. In arguably the closest fight of his career, up until that point, Rodrigues ended up dropping a competitive split decision loss to the European, marking his first set back in almost two years. 

Gregory Rodrigues’ Bounce Back Yields Splendid Highs, Crushing Low

The sting of the defeat didn’t last very long, however, because four months later, he burst right back into the win column by quickly starching Julian Marquez in a single round. He then ended his year with a bloody triumph against former Tachi Palace Welterweight Champion Chidi Njokuani. After receiving a gnarly gash in between his eyes in the first round, Gregory Rodrigues amazingly rallied to knockout his opponent in the second, earning his second Fight of the Night award. 

Looking like a world-beater at 185 lbs, “Robocop” appeared to be not too far away from a shot at reaching the utmost 185-lb elite. Before he could contend for a ranked adversary, though, he first had to make his way past his countryman, Brunno Ferreira, at UFC 283, who was making his promotional debut. Viewed as the sizable favorite by the matchmakers, Gregory Rodrigues was expected to make light work of the then undefeated UFC newcomer. That was until Ferreira lived up to his nickname, “The Hulk,” and put Rodrigues’s light out with a perfect counter left to score an unbelievable upset.

Taking a seven-month break from competition, Rodrigues made his comeback at UFC 292 that August. Returning to peak form, the Brazilian utterly dominated Denis Tiuliulin, finishing him via elbows in the very first round. He then snatched two more victories against middleweight mainstay Brad Tavares and Christian Leroy Duncan to string together another notable win streak.

Gregory Rodrigues Just One Punch Away From Rankings 

Now lined up for his opportunity to reside in the middleweight cream of the crop, Gregory Rodrigues will have his work cut out for him when he locks horns with Jared Cannonier. For much of its history, the 185-lb division has been dominated by fantastic strikers from Brazil. Now, he will have the chance to jump start his own legacy by taking out a previous title contender on his road toward hoisting UFC gold above his head.