UFC middleweight contender Gregory Rodrigues responded to cheating allegations made by Anthony Hernandez after their UFC Sacramento fight.
Rodrigues defeated Hernandez via unanimous decision in the UFC Sacramento headliner in what was a Fight of the Night war between two of the best fighters in the world at 185 lbs.
However, the bout was not without controversy, as Hernandez accused Rodrigues of cheating during the fight.
Gregory Rodrigues Responds to Cheating Accusations
Following the fight, Hernandez accused Rodrigues of cheating during the bout, suggesting that he was grabbing his gloves, which is a foul under the Unified Rules of MMA. Though Hernandez said he told referee Herb Dean that Rodrigues was grabbing his gloves, Dean did not take a point for the infraction.
“I told (expletive) Herb, ‘This (expletive) grabbed my glove like four times.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my gloves.’ And he told him, ‘Hey, stop.’ But I mean, whatever, don’t take a point. Whatever. (Expletive) it. I guess people like to cheat, so it is what it is,” Hernandez said.
After hearing what Hernandez had to say, Rodrigues addressed the cheating allegations on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“He can say whatever he wants. The fact is that I beat him with the leg kicks. I punched him. He didn’t take me down. He didn’t do anything. He put a pressure that was good, but I didn’t cheat him, he knows that. If that was clear, Herb Dean would probably say something or everyone’s gonna see it on the TV. Sometimes, involuntary, my hands grab his gloves, but it was nothing that would change the result of the fight,” Rodrigues said.
“He can say whatever he wants. The fact is that I beat him with the leg kicks. I punched him. He didn’t take me down. He didn’t do anything. He put a pressure that was good, but I didn’t cheat him, he knows
What’s Next for ‘Robocop’?
After beating Hernandez at UFC Sacramento, “Robocop” called out former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for his next bout.
There is certainly a possibility that the UFC books this fight, since both men are coming off a Fight of the Night unanimous decision win — Rodrigues over Hernandez, and du Plessis over Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City — but if not, some of the other options include Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer.
Gregory Rodrigues Responds to Cheating Allegations