Marina Rodriguez took advantage of her first octagon main event Saturday when she largely had her way with Michelle Waterson at UFC on ESPN 24.
Both fighters stepped up on short notice to headline the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas after the original top bout between T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen fell off. There wasn’t as much anticipation around the replacement, but Rodriguez (15-1-2 MMA, 4-1-2 UFC) attempted to maximize her platform against Waterson (18-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC).
After a treacherous travel journey from Brazil, Rodriguez showed up and outworked Waterson over the course of five rounds to win a clear-cut unanimous decision. She’s lost just once in 18 career fights at this point, and is looking more and more like a real contender in the strawweight division.
Rodriguez called for a clash with former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk next after her big win, and while that’s a compelling matchup from a style perspective, is it the right fight to make for the sake of the division?
For the answer, watch the video above as we assume UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard’s role and debate what’s the best next move for Rodriguez after her UFC on ESPN 24 main event win.
