Devin Clark fended off a game Mike Rodriguez to open the UFC 223 card on Saturday, relying on his grappling game and opening up in the final round.
Lauzon MMA’s Mike Rodriguez made a big impact when he landed a flying knee KO on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. On Saturday, opening up the UFC 223 card, he took on fellow light heavyweight Devin Clark, a tough test for anyone’s debut. Clark vs. Rodriguez aired as part of the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card, as there were no Fight Pass exclusives on the night.
While Rodriguez held the center of the octagon early, it was Devin Clark closing the distance, throwing an overhand right and clinching. That allowed Clark to secure a trip and get Mike Rodriguez down, though he was quickly back to his feet. Clark pushed his foe against the cage, landing short punches, but he was unable to make much happen. Ref Big Dan therefore opted to break them up. On the restart, a big Rodriguez leg kick at the end of a combo tripped up Devin Clark. They’d clinch along the cage again, though with just over a minute remaining, Rodriguez would look to land a flying knee that got the crowd roaring even though it fell short. That allowed Clark to get the fight to the ground, and while Rodriguez worked his way to the fence, his opponent managed to get hooks in and land some heavy shots.
Round two saw Rodriguez score a big knee in the clinch early, again showing his considerable power. Clark pinned him along the fence, showing superior wrist control. Off the break, Rodriguez scored with an elbow, and caught Clark a moment later when ‘Brown Bear’ got a little sloppy with his attack. Clark went back to pressing Rodriguez against the fence, but he seemed unable to find a takedown on the larger man. However, things opened up in the final minute of the second, with Clark landing a left that stunned Rodriguez. Clark followed that up with a number of blows, but ‘Slow’ was able to hang on.
Round three saw Devin Clark able to complete a takedown early, land strikes from the top while controlling his opponent’s back, and really take control in the fight. While Rodriguez made it back to his feet, Clark was able to hoist him up and drop him on his back, scoring another key takedown and possibly securing both the round and the fight. Rodriguez would score some standing knees later in the round, but Clark rallied right back, sending it to the scorecards. There, he picked up the unanimous decision win.
Devin Clark def. Mike Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
