All About the Objective for Gregory Rodrigues

A process-oriented approach has brought Gregory Rodrigues to the threshold of contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

The former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder will take his swings at Jared Cannonier in the UFC Fight Night 251 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where a victory would provide him with the breakthrough he has long sought at 185 pounds. Rodrigues enters the Octagon on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. He last saw action on July 27, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC 304. The win moved Rodrigues to 7-2 in the UFC.

“I believe that my career has always been on an upswing, regardless of my losses,” he told Sherdog.com. “I always learn the necessary lessons to allow me to keep advancing and evolving. I never saw losses as something that should cause me to stop—just the opposite. It’s like a bow and arrow; sometimes you need to pull back. The forward speed is always greater than the pull. I’ve improved significantly over the last few years.

“Getting into the UFC was a dream of mine,” Rodrigues added. “It came true. A new race started for me to become established. Now I’m going into my 10th fight. My goals are great. I want to be the UFC middleweight champion. I’m taking one step at a time toward that goal. This is another step in reaching my objective.”

Cannonier, 40, represents his toughest test to date. A fixture in the Top 10, the MMA Lab rep has faced many of the company’s top middleweights—he fell short in his bid to capture the undisputed championship from Israel Adesanya in 2022—and beaten a number of them, including former champion Sean Strickland. However, Cannonier finds himself on the rebound following back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.

“Jared is someone with a lot of experience in the UFC,” Rodrigues said. “He already fought for the title. He stayed near the top of the weight class for a good amount of time. I never underestimate my opponents. I train for the worst they can bring. I worked hard to face Jared. I’m aware of everything he can bring. He has his good qualities, but so do I. I know who I am. If the UFC is giving me this opportunity, it’s because my work is being recognized. I’m going to put my work into practice one more time. I’m confident I’ll be successful. It’s going to be a great fight, and I’m ready to win.”

Rodrigues once again spent his training camp at Kill Cliff Fight Club in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where he dropped anchor in 2021. Henri Hooft and Dietter Navarro oversaw his preparation.

“I have all the tools I need,” Rodrigues said. “My training partners are champions and on the highest level. All that’s left now is for fight night to arrive so I can put everything into action in the Octagon.”

For the 32-year-old Rodrigues, the showdown with Cannonier serves as the next hurdle he must clear in order to achieve his long-range goals.

“I’d like to remain active this year and keep working my way toward the title,” he said. “For now, the only plan is to harness all my skills and hard work to beat my opponent. Then we’ll see what’s next.”