WASHINGTON – Marina Rodriguez sees both the positives and negatives of her matchup with Cynthia Calvillo on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 7.
Rodriguez, who is undefeated in her MMA career, was hoping to fight up in the official UFC strawweight rankings after avoiding a loss through three octagon appearances. That wasn’t the case, though, as the Brazilian (No. 9) got matched up with No. 10 Calvillo.
That came as somewhat of a disappointment to Rodriguez, but she’s able to view the upside.
“She’s a very good opponent,” Rodriguez told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter at UFC on ESPN 7 open workouts. “I don’t expect to rise in the rankings because she’s ranked behind me, but I think it’s a good name and a good opportunity for me to show my work and get some extra points there. Even though it’s not up in the rankings, it’s going to push me forward in my career.”
Rodriguez (13-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) meets Calvillo (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in the co-headliner of UFC on ESPN 7, which takes place at Capital One Arena. The card airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Rodriguez said she’s ready for Calvillo wherever the fight goes. She’d prefer to stand up, if she’s being honest, but given the gameplan her opponents typically bring, there are expectations for grappling situations.
“All fights so far they try to make me down,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve yet to find someone who wants to stand and trade with me. Cynthia at some point is probably going to try to do that, but my jiu-jitsu is better than ever. I’m always improving. We might see a submission there if she tries.”
Should Rodriguez get her hand raised at UFC on ESPN 7, she would be unbeaten in 15 career fights. She said she will be ready for the highest echelon of the strawweight class whenever the UFC deems her worthy, but in the meantime she intends to keep her mind solely on each fight and improving her skills.
“The focus is always on the next fight. I’ve been training a lot. There’s no time for anything else aside from training and working and improving,” Rodriguez said. “I know what I show in one fight, they’re going to be ready for me in the next one. So I’m always working and looking to show different things and a better version of myself next time around.”
