UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Michael Bisping has broken down where Gregory Rodrigues went wrong in his loss to Jared Cannonier.
The Brazilian dominated the first round in which he dropped the 40-year-old twice. However, after tiring quickly, he was stopped via strikes in the fourth round at the hands of the former UFC title challenger.
‘Robocop’ was a moderately-sized favourite going into his first main event at UFC Vegas 102 (-230 according to Tapology). The matchup with Cannonier was set to propel him into the upper echelons of the middleweight division with a win. But, his deficiencies in the endurance department have him now looking backwards rather than forwards.
Michael Bisping discussed the fight in a YouTube video immediately after the event.
He said: “In round two, we started seeing a very different fight.
“Gregory Rodrigues is really big for the weight class so I’m guessing that he has a monster weight cut. Also, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s powerful, and he’s got that fast twitch muscle fibre.
“I always say, and it’s a cliché at this point, you can’t be a sprinter and a marathon runner at the same time, it’s just impossible.
“He’s really, really good in the first round, he’s got world-class jiu-jitsu that he seemingly never uses these days.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
What Comes Next For Jared Cannonier After His Comeback Win Against Gregory Rodrigues
All eyes have been on the middleweight division in recent weeks. With Nassourdine Imavov defeating Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis successfully defending the belt against Sean Strickland, there has been a lots of movement within the rankings.
With Cannonier now bouncing back from consecutive losses, it keeps him relevant among the top contenders.
At the UFC Vegas 102 post-fight press conference, the former heavyweight discussed what is maybe next for him at 185lbs.
He said: “I would like a ranked opponent [next], for sure. I think I’m going to get a ranked opponent after that victory.
“I would like somebody ranked higher than me. Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher than me are either in line for a title shot, going to wait for a title shot, or just beat me.
“But, I’m not going to rule anything out. Shoot, if they say ‘Jared, we need you to fight Dricus next for the belt’ [then] hell yes, I’m ready.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
What did you make of Jared Cannonier’s win over Gregory Rodrigues? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
