NEW YORK – Gregory Rodrigues will be ready to unleash callouts upon middleweight contender if he beats Roman Kopylov at UFC 322.
After knocking out Jack Hermansson in his previous outing, Rodrigues (17-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) looks to close his year strong when he takes on Kopylov (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on the prelims of Saturday’s card at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+/FX, ESPN+).
Should he get the job done, Rodrigues said he’s already got a number of names in mind to target next.
“I’m so happy to do my third fight this year,” Rodrigues told MMA Junkie. “It’s amazing for me. After this, I will take a break, breathe a little bit, and set up my next year. Of course, I want to keep busy. I have some names on my mind, and when I get the mic (from Joe Rogan) on Saturday night, you guys are going to hear.”
Rodrigues is riding high with momentum coming into UFC 322. His victory over Hermansson is a Knockout of the Year candidate, and he said it showed him he can put opponents down with not only his right hand, but the left, too.
The Brazilian said he’s learning from each performance, regardless of whether it’s a knockout win or a loss like he sustained to Jared Cannonier in a main event one bout prior.
“It was an amazing performance, but I’m always taking the lessons,” Rodrigues said. “My fight with Cannonier, the patience and everything. I learned about discipline and to be more than ready to fight. I’m happy. My mind is always on the next fight and be ready for that and be happy with my last performance. But I want more.”
Rodrigues said he will be prepared to fight with Kopylov no matter where the fight goes. His Russian foe has a strong kicking game, but Rodrigues think he’ll be able to get it into the range he needs to land a definitive blow.
“He can do whatever he wants,” Rodrigues said. “I don’t care. I’m ready to go in there and do my plan and put on a show and get out with my arm raised, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
