Des Moines, Iowa — Welterweight Daniel Rodriguez knows just what his fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Des Moines brings to the table this Saturday.
“I was lined up to fight him a while back, and everybody’s been saying this fight’s a banger. It has the potential to be Fight of the Night [written] all over it, and I just plan to go out there and do what I do best,” Rodriguez (18-5) said during this week’s media day, speaking to reporters including Cageside Press.
“D-Rod,” like his Argentinian opponent, has had a tough run of late. His last outing saw him earn a win over Alex Morono that was much needed, and snapped a three-fight skid. In comparison to Ponzinibbio, however, Rodriguez feels like he’s faced a higher caliber of opposition.
“I definitely needed that last win. I had a couple of tough, tough fights, tough losses prior to that,” admitted Rodriguez. “I know me and him are riding the same record our last five fights; I honestly feel I’ve had the tougher competition those last five fights, and I definitely feel like I’ve looked better. Even though I lost, I still feel like I was winning those fights up until the point that I lost, other than the Ian Garry fight.”
“I definitely feel like the fresher fighter, definitely feel like this fight camp is going to show that I still have that cardio, still have that high output. And he’s got that aggressive style, so it’s got fireworks written all over it.”
Part of feeling like he’s the fresher fighter at age 38, added Rodriguez, is the fact that he got started late in the fight game. “A lot of these guys like Ponzinibbio, they have like 40-something fights, or all these fights, they’ve been in it for a long time. These guys are all weathered, they’re beat. And I haven’t been doing it that long. I only stepped in the gym at 25 years old, I had my first fight at 27, so I’ve only been fighting a little over 10 years. And these past few years, I haven’t been fighting as much.”
And so, added Rodriguez, “we’re the same age, but I definitely feel like the fresher fighter. Definitely.”
Watch Daniel Rodriguez’s full UFC Des Moines media day appearance above.
