UFC 318: Daniel Rodriguez thrilled to flip script into a three-fight winning streak
Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Holland (29-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) have been on a collision course since 2020, when their first of many fight bookings fell through. At UFC 318, both made it to the cage at Smoothie King Center, and a Fight of the Night-worthy battle unfolded.
"That fight went exactly how I imagined it would have played out, given it's Kevin Holland, you know?" Rodriguez told reporters at a post-fight news conference. "Crazy ass dude. I was excited to get this matchup, and I only had three and a half weeks to prepare for it."
Rodriguez caught everyone's attention when he rocked and nearly finished Holland with punches in the second round. He swarmed for the finish, but was aware that Holland is tough to put away, so he didn't want to completely empty the tank for a moment that may not have come. Despite nearly finishing the fight, Rodriguez found himself on the receiving end of damaging strikes as Holland nearly found a finish of his own.
"I don't even remember that happening," Rodriguez said with a laugh. "I don't know. I was like, 'What? I got rocked?'"
The big takeaway for "D-Rod" is that he's now on a three-fight winning streak, having entered after wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio, and is now knocking on the door of the welterweight rankings. It's a big turnaround from a three-fight skid from 2022-24.
"It's all momentum," Rodriguez said. "The first one was the start of it. The second one, knockout. This one is even bigger, probably one of the biggest wins of my career. It's all momentum from here. It means everything to me. It's my blood, sweat and tears every single day. So, the fact that I'm in the position I'm in right now, it's like a career revival to me. I'm all-in. I've always been all-in, but I'm here to stay."
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