Fighters these days enter the UFC at a young age and build themselves up. Sean O’Malley, Ilia Topuria, and Ian Garry are some prime examples. However, Daniel Rodriguez entered the UFC at 34-years-old. Despite that, he has done everything in his power to climb up the rankings with middling success. In that journey, his biggest win came against BKFC superstar Mike Perry in the UFC.
UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez recently sat down for a conversation with Rampage Jackson. During their discussion, Rampage wanted to know if a rematch with Perry would happen in the BKFC promotion. Since Perry left the UFC, he has become a bigger superstar by destroying everyone in the BKFC. However, D-Rod poured cold waters on potentially having a rematch with Perry at BKFC.
I probably would never be able to do bare knuckle. Just my hand, it don’t even close like a hundred percent, like all the way. I’ve had like three surgeries.
Daniel Rodriguez via JAXXON Podcast
The only legal technique allowed in bare-knuckle fighting is punches with a closed fist. The multiple scar tissues Rodriguez incurred throughout his career have made it difficult for him to make a fist. He revealed to Jackson that he would do a couple of exercises before a fight that would make things easier for him.
However, the UFC welterweight only does it when he is in Vegas while preparing for a camp. It is difficult for him to do it in California with his family around. So, Rodriguez would put himself at a disadvantage if he went to explore Conor McGregor‘s newly acquired promotion. As such, a rematch likely will not happen.
Daniel Rodriguez was the last UFC fighter to beat BKFC star Mike Perry
Mike Perry made his UFC debut in 2016. At UFC 202, he secured a first-round knockout victory over Hyun Gyu Lim. He went on for fourteen more fights before stepping out and making his BKFC debut in 2022. The last fighter that Perry fought in the UFC was Daniel Rodriguez.
Daniel Rodriguez beat Mike Perry at UFC on ABC 2 (Image via X)Daniel Rodriguez fought Mike Perry in the UFC in 2021 at UFC on ABC 2. The fight went the distance and Rodriguez won the fight via unanimous decision. Perry took a significant amount of damage in that fight. Right after coming off of a loss, Rodriguez showed significant potential as a rising contender in the welterweight division.
Perry, known for his brawling style, could not trouble D-Rod at all. Rodriguez had double the amount of significant strikes and dominated the striking exchanges. At one point, Perry resorted to takedowns to stop D-Rod’s momentum. In the end, the performance led the UFC to cut Perry from the promotion.
He went on to bag three more consecutive wins before losing to Neil Magny in November 2022, which marked the beginning of his losing streak. Meanwhile, after Perry’s successful debut in BKFC, he went on to bag four more consecutive wins and secured a Jake Paul fight. Unless Perry returns to the UFC, D-Rod will remain the last fighter to compete against Perry in MMA.
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