Miami, FL – Underdog or not UFC bantamweight Christian Rodriguez will look to take his opponent’s hype as his own when he faces Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC 287 on Saturday night.
“I don’t mind the hype. I think it benefits me, you know, once I stop it,” Rodriguez told reporters on Wednesday.
“I like the matchup. I don’t think the UFC does any favors. I don’t think the UFC’s the kind of place that you know tries to build people up. I think what the UFC does is they put two prospects who are really good and they see whoever wants it more.”
Rodriguez (8-1) can somewhat relate to what RosasJ Jr. is going through being so young as a professional MMA fighter.
“I had my first MMA fight at 17. I know what it feels like to be very, very young in this game. I had my MMA debut at 17 and I was still a senior in high school,” he said.
Whether he relates to him or not it won’t matter when they step into the octagon. As much fanfare and hype as Rosas Jr. gets Rodriguez doesn’t see a complete fighter standing in front of him just yet.
“I see he’s very good. He’s a very, very good grappler, but I feel that’s all he brings to the table. I do respect his skill-set. I do respect how good his grappling is so it’s not like I’m overlooking him or anything like that. I do respect his skill set and his team,” said Rodriguez.
Taking on a hype train like Rosas Jr. brings to UFC 287 this is still just another fight for Rodriguez, but at the same time it isn’t.
“It is another fight for me just because the way I see fights I always see it as just another fight. I don’t like kind of overwhelming myself,” he said.
“But I do realize this is like one of the biggest opportunities of my life. I’m on the main card with Izzy and Poatan so it’s crazy to me. It is a big opportunity for me as well.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Christian Rodriguez above. He takes on Raul Rosas Jr. on the main card of UFC 287 on April 8th in Miami, FL.
