Athletes
Daniel Rodriguez: 'F*** It. Let's Fight'
In The Biggest Spotlight Of His Career At UFC 279, Daniel Rodriguez Embraces The Entire Journey
A yearlong layoff affects every fighter. It may have affected Daniel Rodriguez more than most simply because “D-Rod” loves fighting more than most.
So when he got the green light to return to active duty, he was going to jump on whatever opportunity presented itself.
“It’s just the feeling of having a fight coming up, the excitement of it and the whole build-up,” he said. “That's what I miss the most.”
Daniel Rodriguez Fight Week Interview | UFC 279: Diaz vs Ferguson
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Daniel Rodriguez Fight Week Interview | UFC 279: Diaz vs Ferguson
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Rodriguez got his wish, though he probably didn’t expect this much excitement in the build-up to Saturday night’s UFC 279 card in Las Vegas.
Originally coming in on short notice, along with Kevin Holland, for a bout at a catchweight of 180 pounds, the pair of welterweights got thrown into the 24-hour tornado that culminated with Khamzat Chimaev missing weight for his main event against Nate Diaz and the top three bouts being shuffled.
Order UFC 279 To Watch Rodriguez Live On PPV | Get Your Tickets Here
By Friday afternoon, Diaz was facing Tony Ferguson in the main event, Chimaev got Holland in the co-main, and Rodriguez got matched up with Ferguson’s original foe, Li Jingliang. Now we weren’t in the room when Rodriguez took the fight with Li, but it probably went along the lines of the conversation when he was offered to return against Holland.
“Ultimately, the goal is always to win, and me taking this fight, it's one for the fans, and I just want to go out there and put on a show and fight the best fighters,” he told me before Friday’s madness. “I would have said yeah to anybody. I'm super excited to go out there and put it all out there.”
He always does, and it’s why he’s garnered a nice fan following after going 6-1 in his first seven trips to the Octagon. But that eagerness to fight anyone, anywhere and any time can come with a price, and Rodriguez paid it to the tune of three surgeries following his August 2021 win over Kevin Lee. Yet while the old Daniel Rodriguez would have jumped back into the Octagon as soon as he felt ready to throw a punch, the 2022 version decided that it was best to get healthy before going back to work against the best 170-pounders on the planet.
RELATED: Reasons To Watch UFC 279 | Fight By Fight Preview | Chimaev Isn't Here To Be A Normal Fighter
“I'm coming off three surgeries, and I really took the time this time to fully heal and slowly progress my way back into it instead of trying to do what I was doing before, which led to multiple injuries and hurting myself in training,” he said. “So I've just been rehabbing and trying to grow as a fighter. This whole time, yeah, I've been injured, but I've been working and that's the main reason I took this fight.”
Paying attention to what his body was telling him was something that wouldn’t have happened back in 2020-21, when he fought all seven of his UFC bouts.
“Unfortunately, it took a couple setbacks to change that mindset, but I'm growing and getting a little bit older in the game, and this process helped me tap into the whole recovery aspect of MMA and how beneficial it can be.”
That’s the wisdom of a 35-year-old showing. And with Rodriguez and his lady welcoming a son earlier this summer, making it five for the Alhambra native – “Five blessings for me,” he said – this is someone learning that what he does on fight night affects more than his record and bank account. There are eyes watching, none more than his kids, who beam when they’re out with dad and fans recognize him on the street.
UFC 279 FREE FIGHTS: Tony Ferguson vs Katsunori Kikuno | Li Jingliang vs Muslim Salikhov | Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns | Khamzat Chimaev vs Li Jingliang | Nate Diaz vs Cowboy Cerrone | Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor
“Since my last fight, those little things are kind of what makes my day a lot of times when I'm with my kids,” Rodriguez said. “And not even at the event, but anywhere we go - when we go to the mall or go to the beach and I get recognized, and to see their face light up, that's the real trophy right there.”
He even had a mural painted in his honor in El Monte, showing how far he’s reaching folks in and out of the fight game.
“I'm a local hero, bro,” he laughs, before admitting that such a show of respect is humbling.
View D-Rod's Athlete Profile Here
“Especially being where I'm from,” Rodriguez said. “It's not like a small town kind of thing. It's a major thing to be known the way I am in the area where I'm from.”
New baby, the love of all his kids and his family, and the respect of friends and strangers alike. The only thing that’s missing for D-Rod is a fistfight. And he’s going to get in one on Saturday.
“I've been training pretty hard lately, and I've been eager and feeling really good,” he said. “So I said, ‘F**k it, let's fight.’”
UFC 279: Diaz vs Ferguson took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 10, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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