UFC middleweight contender Gregory Rodrigues revealed that he had pre-fight health issues heading into UFC Sacramento.
Rodrigues defeated Anthony Hernandez via unanimous decision in a hard-fought five-round fight that headlined UFC Sacramento.
Now that the fight is over, Rodrigues has revealed he was dealing with a pre-fight injury and illness before it.
Gregory Rodrigues Reveals Pre-Fight Injury
Taking to his social media, Rodrigues described the health issues that he faced ahead of UFC Sacramento.
“So you want to be a fighter? Not every fight happens inside the Octagon. Many of them happen during the preparation for a fight. If you ask me, ‘Gregory, do you like fighting?’ Absolutely. I love fighting. God has been shaping me my whole life to be a warrior. But the hardest part for us athletes is the preparation before the fight. Three weeks before the fight, I dislocated my toe during sparring and ended up in the hospital. My back locked up, I had a lot of infections outbreak, I got sick, my immune system weakened, I felt pressure coming from every direction, and so many thoughts tried to stop me. This is the life of a fighter that I chose. And even knowing the price, I would choose it all over again!” Rodrigues wrote on his Instagram.
Gregory Rodrigues Moves up in UFC Rankings
After beating Hernandez at UFC Sacramento, Rodrigues took a big leap up the UFC rankings, as he now sits in seventh place in the Meta UFC Rankings at middleweight.
Following his big win over Hernandez, Rodrigues used his post-fight interview as an opportunity to call out former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for a No. 1 contender’s bout at 185 lbs. That fight is certainly on the table right now, given that both men are coming off impressive wins, with Rodrigues beating Hernandez and du Plessis defeating Kamaru Usman in his last fight.
Otherwise, two potential matchups that could happen include fights against contenders Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer. Rodrigues is unlikely to fight Brendan Allen, however, as the two are both close friends and training partners at Kill Cliff FC.
Gregory Rodrigues Reveals Health Issues Before UFC Sacramento