Marina Rodriguez is looking to become the top contender at strawweight on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 26.
Rodriguez is set to step up on short notice, up a weight class at flyweight, against perennial strawweight contender, Michelle Waterson. It’s an interesting matchup on paper, but given they only had just over a week’s notice, it adds to the intrigue of the fight.
The Brazilian in Rodriguez is coming off a TKO win over Amanda Ribas at UFC 257 to earn arguably the biggest win of her career. After the win, many called for her to get a top-five opponent, and although that won’t be the case, she does get a big name in Waterson and hopes a win over “The Karate Hottie” earns her a title shot against Namajunas.
“After winning this fight, I believe I am very close to a title shot,” Rodriguez told UFC.com. “I might have to beat one of the Top 3 first — Yan (Xiaonan), Joanna (Jedrzejczyk), or Zhang (Weili) — but it depends a bit on who the next challenger will be; that will determine quite a lot about my near future. But if none of them are up to fighting Rose (Namajunas), I know I am!”
Although Rodriguez is calling for a title shot with a win, it’s likely the winner of Yan Xioanan vs. Carla Esparza would get the next title shot. However, if Rodriguez makes a statement with a stoppage, perhaps she gets the title shot. Or, she could get a big name like Mackenzie Dern or Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Marina Rodriguez is 3-1-2 in the UFC. She has draws against Cynthia Calvillo and Randa Markos and a close decision loss to Esparza. Yet, she is a really good striker and her takedown defense has been getting better which could make her a problem for the strawweight division.
Rose Namajunas, meanwhile, is coming off a first-round TKO over Weili Zhang to become the new strawweight champ.
Do you think Marina Rodriguez will get a title shot with a win over Michelle Waterson?
