Las Vegas — Gregory Rodrigues runs things back with Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326, after being knocked out by his fellow Brazilian when they first collided in 2023.
It’s a middleweight fight that is a rare non-title rematch, especially so given how recent their last encounter was. Yet for “Robocop,” it’s also a fight that makes sense, even though he’s ranked ahead of Ferreira currently (#13 vs. #15).
“This fight completely makes sense. Brunno is coming with a good career, good wins and the matchmakers do an amazing job,” Rodrigues (18-6) told media outlets including Cageside Press at the UFC 326 media day. “I like it, and they offered the fight. It’s not a fight like ‘oh man, why’d you pick this fight?’ I want to be the champ of the division, and if I want to be the champ I need to beat everyone, right?”
While Rodrigues was on the wrong end of the knockout in the pair’s first encounter, he’s expecting things to play out very differently this Saturday in Las Vegas.
“Probably that night when he got the win against me was the best night of his life,” Rodrigues exclaimed. “I hope he enjoyed it, because the next one is going to be completely different.”
Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues trains at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, one of the sport’s premier mixed martial arts camps. They’ve got a strong contingent at UFC 326, with fellow middleweight Reinier de Ridder and lightweight veteran Michael “The Menace” Johnson also in action.
“We have Reinier, we have Michael Johnson, so it feels like sparring day,” Rodrigues told Cageside Press. “That’s great. Being with Reinier, with all my guys, the coaches, Henri [Hooft], all the team is here, so that feels like home. That will be good. That will be a good night for us.”
Watch the full UFC 326 media day appearance by Gregory Rodrigues above.
