LAS VEGAS—Christian Rodriguez found himself in trouble early at UFC Fight Night 239 but pulled off a comeback victory.
Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) ended up on the wrong end of a 10-8 Round 1 score at the hands of Isaac Dulgarian. But as the fight wore on, Rodriguez began mounting a comeback, splitting the judges in Round 2, before hanging a 10-8 of his own on Dulgarian (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in Round 3.
“I felt a little off in the beginning,” Rodriguez told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I had a hard time finding my rhythm, my timing. But I knew I had to dig deep in the third round.”
And did deep, he did.
Rodriguez pulled off the comeback victory with a dominant final round to win a split decision with rare dueling scores of 28-27. Even though he closed the fight on a high note, Rodriguez wasn’t exactly confident he would get his hand raised.
“I feel like you never know with the judges,” Rodriguez said. “All I know is everytime I step in the cage, I leave my heart in there. I’m always looking for the finish, I’m always trying to knock my opponent out or go for a submission, so I know I leave my heart in there.”
Rodriguez hopes to return to action at UFC 302 in June, but is also willing to get on any card before then if a slot opens up. He already has an opponent in mind, creating a matchup that he belives fans would enjoy.
“I feel like me and Nathaniel Wood would put on a good fight,” Rodriguez said. “Two good strikers, so yeah, I think it’s a fight the fans would love. … It’s a good fight, tough fight. I think it would be like Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night. He brings it, I bring it, and that’s what the fans love to see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.
