Daniel Rodriguez continued to show off his impressive striking with a unanimous decision win over Kevin Lee at UFC Vegas 35.
It was back to welterweight for Kevin Lee at UFC Vegas 35. The longtime lightweight contender had made the move to 170lbs once previously, but didn’t stick it out after a disappointing result against Rafael dos Anjos. Something of a ‘tweener, however, Lee had missed weight in his last fight at lightweight, and was looking to give 170 another try against the always game Daniel Rodriguez.
Lee started the fight with a body kick, then tried it again. Rodriguez pumped out a jab and Lee sent two right back his way. A leg kick and a left straight landed for Rodriguez. Lee slapped a head kick across the face of Rodriguez and tried for a takedown, but there was nothing down. Lee went deep on a single-leg and completed a takedown, getting into half guard quickly. Lee pinned Rodriguez down for the remaining two minutes on the ground.
Rodriguez landed hard straight punches right away in the second round. Lee jabbed into a takedown attempt that was initially stuffed, but Lee kept pushing until he got Rodriguez down. Rodriguez was eventually able to reverse position and stand up. Rodriguez was opening up on the feet, staggering Lee with a right hand. A leg kick followed by two straight punches landed for Rodriguez. Another combination found the target from Rodriguez then a big left hand that rocked Lee. Lee shot for a desperation takedown and had to eat some punches before the end of the round.
Heavy hands landing to close RD 2! 👊 #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/IBdLNY5xbc
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021
Rodriguez continued his success on the feet, rocking Lee with another left hand. Lee responded with a head kick and another takedown. Rodriguez worked his way up and got back to his striking. The disparity in the striking had grown as the fight went on, with Rodriguez running away with the fight in the third round.
Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Lee by Unanimous Decision (29-28)
