In many ways, Ronaldo Rodriguez already won.
Rodriguez, better known as “Lazy Boy,” was not supposed to make it this far, as the odds were heavily stacked against him. Yet, here he is, hours away from opening up the UFC 306 pay-per-view main card this Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas in what will be his second fight with the promotion.
Rodriguez has taken a good chunk of the spotlight this fight week. He stole the show at Thursday’s Noche UFC press conference with his heated back-and-forth with Ode Osbourne and is heading into the event as one of the most beloved, followed, and hyped Mexican fighters on the card.
Although it may seem like things are just getting started for the 25-year-old prospect, Rodriguez has already been through a ton to get to this stage.
The beginning
Rodriguez was born in Chiapas, one of the poorest states in Mexico with a staggering poverty rate of 74.7%, according to a 2012 study from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. In Chiapas, Rodriguez lived in a tiny town – which, according to a 2010 census, had a population of less than 500.
“We’re from a municipality called Jiquipilas, and a town called Nueva Independencia, that’s where I grew up,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “There are no roads, there is no internet, there’s hardly any electricity. People move around in horses, but there are some cars. There is one road and a park that’s all pavement.
“It’s a very poor neighborhood. I think having grown up there and seeing all the hardships we had to go through and all the times we were hungry or didn’t have clothes or shoes to wear, it was those experiences that forged the man you see today. The man who’s working to better himself and build a legacy.”
A single mother raised Rodriguez. His grandparents were farmworkers who cultivated corn and pumpkin. It was clear early on that he had no future in Chiapas, which is why it was his home for only seven years.
“Chiapas has the highest index of poverty in Mexico,” Rodriguez said. “My mother gave me the opportunity to leave the town. She was both a mother and a father to me. She took the risk to step out her comfort zone and leave the town so she could give a better life to her son.”
Veracruz and his introduction to MMA
Looking for a better future, Rodriguez and his mom moved to a bigger city in Veracruz, about a four-hour drive from their home in Chiapas. He was about seven years old when they made the change, and there, Rodriguez’s mother began working as a housekeeper to support their living.
Soon after moving to Veracruz, Rodriguez realized he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, perhaps more than the average kid.
“About eight years old, I realized that no one was going to figure out my life for me,” Rodriguez said. “I knew that a stepfather wasn’t going to come in and buy me everything I wanted. That I wasn’t going to win the lottery. That no one was going to do something for me. I knew I only had my mother, and my mother only had me. No one was going to figure out our lives. I knew the only one that could make a change was me.”
Rodriguez spent the majority of his childhood and teenage years in Veracruz. There, he realized that studying wasn’t his thing, but fighting was.
“Since I was a kid, I loved fighting,” Rodriguez said. “In high school, I got kicked out twice for fighting. I ended up in the most problematic high school in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. It was there where all the kids that other schools didn’t want would end up. But it was something that I needed to live through. I always liked fighting.
Rodriguez was a big Julio Cesar Chavez fan and wanted to pursue a career in boxing. Unfortunately for the world of the “Sweet Science,” there was only an MMA gym available to him, so he began training there at the age of 14.
“Four months into my training, I had my first amateur fight,” Rodriguez recalled. “The amateur kind of Mexico is pretty much professional, but they don’t have to pay you, so that’s why they call it amateur. I had about 22 of those fights and from there I had my professional debut.”
Another move and the early footsteps as a professional fighter
Like Chiapas, Veracruz soon began to feel like a small town for a hungry and talented Rodriguez looking to take his professional MMA career seriously. There wasn’t much else for him to do MMA-wise, so at 17, he decided to go to the nation’s capital, Mexico City, where there was a bigger, more robust MMA scene.
“I told my mom that I didn’t want to be a burden for her and school wasn’t really my thing, so I made the decision to leave home and go to Mexico City to chase my dream,” Rodriguez said. “In Veracruz there were no professional fights, there was no one registering them. I still have a few fights not registered in my Tapology. It didn’t mean anything to fight and make money with no record of my fights.”
Fortunately for “Lazy Boy,” his gym in Veracruz was affiliated with a gym in Mexico City called ADAM, run by Rene Diosdado and his brother. They were happy to take in Rodriguez and let him live in the gym. Little did Rodriguez know that the gym was going to be his home for the next four years.
“I was training all day,” Rodriguez said. “I mean three, four times a day in the gym because that’s all I had. Thank God there were many people there that saw my effort and many would come with a meal or anything to help and support me. That always kept me humble because I truly needed help from the people. If it wasn’t for them, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my dream. I think that’s what’s helped me connect with people, and that’s why I am who I am today.”
Rodriguez had plenty of aid from people, but that was not enough to support him and his MMA career. He also worked as a waiter at a small local restaurant, making and selling gelatinas – a popular dessert in Mexico. He was very good at that.
“I’d sell them in the gym to training partners, the kids,” Rodriguez said. “I’d also sell them to trucks and at parks, anywhere. I got that from my mom. She was always a hard worker, so I had a good example to help me there. She’s the person I admire the most. She’s a very hardworking woman and was able to provide for me as a single mother.”
Living and training in the gym, selling gelatinas, and working as a waiter weren’t the only things on Rodriguez’s schedule.
From 2017 to 2020, Rodriguez fought 11 times, going 10-1, with his only loss being a split decision defeat. He also won a local championship belt. Through this busy schedule, Rodriguez quickly became a local sensation, and it was only a matter of time for him to get called up to the big leagues.
Heartbreak at Dana White Contender Series
In 2020, after four years of being a very active regional fighter in Mexico while also working part-time jobs, Rodriguez got the call to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series – a show where the best regional fighters throw down against each other in hopes to convince UFC CEO Dana White of a contract with the Las-Vegas based promotion.
According to the Hollywood script, this was Rodriguez’s inevitable breakthrough, but it wasn’t. Rodriguez fought and lost a unanimous decision to Jerome Rivera, and with that result, he was sent packing back to the regional scene in Mexico.
“That camp was insane because it was during the pandemic, and I was the first Mexican to compete on Contender Series,” Rodriguez said. “I only trained with one coach and one training partner because no one wanted to train. Covid was at its peak. Preparation was extremely difficult, but I prepared as best I could, but I didn’t get the result I wanted.”
There was no plan B for Rodriguez. Fighting was everything, which is why the loss at DWCS stung.
“I’m not going to lie, getting the opportunity of your dreams and unfortunately not working out, it tears you down bad,” Rodriguez said. “It was rough, but at the end of the day, this is what defines a warrior. How many times can you get up? I’ve come up time and time again from poverty and many other things. So, not getting back up from a defeat wasn’t acceptable.
“I was still winning, that’s how I see it. Considering where I come from, I’m winning.”
The purse made at DWCS was the biggest Rodriguez had made in his fighting career. This allowed him to move out of his gym and rent his own place, which brought a lot of peace of mind. From there, Rodriguez brushed off the dust and got back on the horse.
“I did think that maybe this was the highest moment for me, but those are internal demons that you have to battle, so today, I can stand and say I’m destined to be a world champion.”
UFC dream comes true
Rodriguez didn’t give up. He went back to Mexico after his loss at DWCS and continued to put in the work.
Rodriguez’s plan was simple: Rack up as many wins as possible in hope to get another chance at a UFC contract. On the regional scene, he picked up five consecutive victories, with four under the LUX banner, which streams on UFC Fight Pass.
This streak was enough to get him back on the UFC radar. However, this time he didn’t have to come to the UFC, the UFC came to him. The promotion booked a Fight Night event for February 24 in Mexico City. This was the UFC’s first event in Mexico since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I got the contract, brother, that was a feeling of, ‘We made it,'” Rodriguez said. “We knew it was coming.”
At UFC Fight Night 237, Rodriguez faced Denys Bondar for his debut. He was the third fight on the preliminary card but was treated by the crowd as if he were the main event. He was the man of the people.
As he dreamt it, Rodriguez stepped in the octagon, put on an impressive showing, and submitted Bondar with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their contest. It was a dream come true.
“It was a unique feeling I can’t explain,” Rodriguez said. “It’s different from anything else. The truth is that I just feel blessed to be able to wake up every day and breathe, but that night was something very special.
“My mom was crying of happiness. She was crying because I made it. She knows how tough this career is.”
FIRST FINISH OF THE NIGHT FOR MEXICO 🇲🇽
Ronaldo Rodriguez gets the tap in his Octagon debut at #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/6AzZzPrhXT
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
UFC 306 and beyond
“Lazy Boy” returns to the octagon for his second UFC fight at Saturday’s pay-per-view event, which celebrates Mexican Independence. This is a special moment for every Mexican fighter on the card. However, given how much the Mexican crowd has embraced him, Rodriguez feels an extra duty to make his people proud.
“Us Mexicans we’re growing a ton in this sport and it was just a matter of time because la raza is made for this,” Rodriguez said. “Maybe we’re not good at many other things, but any sport that’s contact and violent, Mexico is a superpower. I’m extremely proud to represent Mexico and to know that they feel represented by me.”
Rodriguez wasn’t just molded by his tough upbringing. Sure, he’s convinced it’s primed him for fighting, but it’s also done more than that. Rodriguez feels the average Mexican can relate to his life story, which is why he’s very popular despite just getting into the UFC.
“I’m one of them,” Rodriguez said. “I’m the average Mexican that comes from nothing and works hard for his dreams despite the lack of resources and lack of support. Despite all that, I’m living my dream, and that’s why my people identify with me.”
The dream has narrowed down to one thing now that Rodriguez finds himself in the UFC, and that’s winning gold.
“Win the UFC title, that’s what’s next,” Rodriguez said. “Everything else is just steps towards that. That’s clear for me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
