Daniel Rodriguez will now face Gabriel Green in a battle of Southern California natives on the main card of UFC on ESPN 9.
First reported by MMAJunkie, UFC newcomer Gabriel Green will be stepping in to face Daniel Rodriguez this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 9. The news comes just hours after reports that Rodriguez’s original opponent, Kevin Holland, had withdrawn from the bout due to injury.
“Gifted” Gabriel Green is a 27 year old from Southern California who is currently on a six fight win-streak. Green has competed on the local circuit where he has experience fighting on shows held by Bellator, Combate Americas, and the former California Xtreme Fighting. Green last fought in August of 2018 where he claimed the 160 pound title for CXF. He was previously scheduled to compete in January on the Bellator card in Inglewood, CA but a shoulder injury removed him from the bout. Usually competing in the lightweight division, Green will be moving up in weight for the bout.
Welcome to the UFC Daniel Rodriguez! #UFCRioRancho pic.twitter.com/wuQhy86Cns
— UFC (@ufc) February 16, 2020
Daniel Rodriguez will be looking for his second UFC victory after stepping in on short notice in February and scoring an emphatic second round finish of veteran Tim Means. Rodriguez had put together a 5-1 record in Combate Americas and notched a victory over on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. He went on to win the SMASH Global welterweight title last December before finally receiving the opportunity to make his UFC debut against Means.
Rodriguez had previously been set to face Kevin Holland who was making a quick two-week turnaround after competing at the UFC event in Florida on May 16. Per UFC.com, the bout between Rodriguez and Green will be taking place on the main card this Saturday on ESPN.
