A battle of top-15 strawweight contenders sees one fighter's momentum continuing to roll upward, while another one lays down her gloves in the center of the Octagon.
The rising Gillian Robertson continued her winning ways during the UFC Des Moines prelims, scoring a finish of Marina Rodriguez, who retired following the fight.
The fight was a dominant one from start to finish for Robertson, who had control time on the ground in top position for approximately five-and-a-half of the bout's approximate seven minutes. Pressure and elbows were the main method of attack for Robertson in the opening frame.
Robertson quickly got the fight back to the ground early in the second round. There, she smoothly worked her way into mount, where she rained down ground-and-pound for the TKO.
Gillian Robertson Wins Fourth Straight, Marina Rodriguez Retires At UFC Des Moines
Robertson has now won four straight and six of her last seven, including a 5-1 record since returning to strawweight in 2023. Robertson scored wins over Polyana Viana, Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Luana Pinheiro during 2024. She will most likely have a top-10 ranking come Monday.
The 38-year-old Rodriguez retires with losses in three straight and five of her last six. Her sole win in that span had come against Waterson-Gomez in September 2023, and she entered tonight's bout off a controversial split decision loss to Iasmin Lucindo at UFC 307.
Rodriguez was awarded a contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018, where she defeated Maria de Oliveira Neta. Rodriguez's UFC run ends with an Octagon record of 7-5-2, with wins over the likes of Yan Xiaonan, Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas, in addition two wins over Waterson-Gomez.