Once Gregory Rodrigues had Julian Marquez hurt, he was relentless going after the finish and lived up to his nickname.
When it finally came for “Robocop” Rodrigues (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC), it looked like a mere formality. Rodrigues kept punching with Marquez (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) backing up. Then he drilled him with a methodical right to end the fight at the 3:18 mark of the opening round on the main card at UFC on ESPN 37 in Austin, Texas.
Rodrigues hit Marquez with a one-two combo that had Marquez reeling backward. He pushed forward and threw a knee while Marquez was getting back to his feet. Marquez fired back, but Rodrigues kept the pressure on.
A few moments later, Rodrigues put Marquez on the ropes with three punches. Then he measured his final one and drilled Marquez with a right hand. Marquez crumpled to the canvas and the fight was over.
Rodrigues got back in the win column after a February split decision loss. He snapped Marquez’s modest two-fight winning streak of submissions and also became the first fighter to finish him.
Check out Rodrigues’ knockout win below, which was the seventh finish in nine bouts at UFC on ESPN 37.
WHAT IS IN THE WATER IN TEXAS?! 😱 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/Fl1qvGZNa2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 18, 2022
