One of several debuting fighters at UFC Mexico City, flyweight Luis Rodriguez makes his debut after appearing on the Contender Series back in 2020. Despite dropping a decision back then, Rodriguez has worked his way back to the big show, where he takes on Denys Bondar.
Luis “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez
Standing at five-foot-six
Fighting at 125 lbs (flyweight)
24-years-old
Fighting out of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico
Training out of ADAM Coatzacoalcos
A pro record of 15-2
7 KO/TKOs, 4 Submissions
How Rodriguez will fare in the UFC:
Rodriguez is a Contender Series alum who fought in the 2020 season. He lost a controversial decision to Jerome Rivera in that outing. Even though some thought Rodriguez won the bout, it’s still not a good look as Rivera went 0-4 in the UFC. Since that loss, Rodriguez has gone up to bantamweight and went 5-0. Although it looks good on paper the guys he was beating are at the bottom of a barrel. One opponent was 11-11 and one was 6-5.
After going over the tape of Rodriguez I expected more from a young Mexican prospect. He is still young so he has time to grow but there is a lot to work on. On the feet, all he has is some power, explosiveness, and mainly hooks. He uses a lot of feints but not for anything useful. He throws hooks, leg kicks, knees, and body shots. He’s seemingly incapable of throwing straight punches never throwing even a jab. He doesn’t set up his hands as he just dips in and throws. His footwork isn’t creative only going forward not creating angles. He’s so wide in his striking a jab would destroy him. Rodriguez is also too predictable is what he’s going to do.
Rodriguez has had moments in fights where he’s spent a lot of time on the mat. He has four wins by submission but three of those were early in his career. I don’t rate his wrestling highly and his jiu-jitsu is almost non-existent. It shines more in scrambles but on top, he has trouble transitioning. Rodriguez shows his age in his grappling for sure.
Overall, I’m not expecting a lot from Rodriguez. Especially at flyweight where guys are going to be faster and more well-rounded. He’s not well-rounded enough and on the feet where he’s most comfortable, he lacks the tools.
How he matches up with Bondar:
Bondar had some promise coming into the UFC but he’s fizzled out. He’s gone 0-2 in the UFC and has pulled out of four fights so being fragile is a big question. Offensively he’s the better fighter than Rodriguez. He has a superior advantage on the mat and on the feet, he’s got a lot more weapons. It just depends on whether Bondar breaks when he gets pressured and hit. On paper Bondar should win but I’m picking Rodriguez because of his moment mixed with the fact Bondar has taken a lot of damage.
