Cynthia Calvillo is confident she has a major advantage in the grappling department going into her next fight.
Calvillo (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on the undefeated Marina Rodriguez (12-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 7 next week and thinks if the fight hits the canvas, it will be a short night for Rodriguez.
“I feel like it’s going to be a fun fight standing, but if it hits the ground, it’s going to be game over,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “So if I get that opportunity to take her down, it’s going to be a quick finish for sure.
“Its going to be ground by elbows, first round ground-and-pound. It goes down, it’s going to be over. There’s going to be a submission or ground and pound. She’s either going to get stopped with a ground-and-pound TKO, or she’s just going to turn around and give me her neck.”
Originally scheduled to take on former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha, Calvillo faces a different stylistic matchup in Rodriguez, but is confident in her preparation. She has spent a little more than two months in Thailand at the renowned Tiger Muay Thai gym in preparation for the fight.
Despite losing out on the Gadelha fight, she still thinks Rodriguez is a formidable opponent.
“She’s 12-0 for a reason,” Calvillo said. “She is a muay Thai champ, and she did beat some notable names. She did beat Tecia Torres in her last match. She looked great, and I think it would be awesome for me to beat an undefeated fighter at 12-0 who’s ranked above me. So I think it’s an opportunity for me to really make a statement.”
There is also the perk of taking the zero away from an undefeated fighter’s record, a feeling Calvillo knows all too well.
“I was there – I was her when I was fighting Carla Esparza, and then I kind of got stopped (and) slowed back a little bit,” Calvillo said. “(It) was just more of a learning lesson, but I feel like it’s just one of those things. She’s coming up (and) I’ve already been in the UFC for a while. I do think she’s a dangerous fighter and she’s hungry, and I think she understands how important this opportunity is to fight me. And on top of that also, being a co-main event – I’m super thankful to be able to have that spot, a co-main event in our nation’s capital.”
Calvillo’s loss to Esparza is her only career blemish. Since that loss, she was able to rebound with back-to-back wins over Poliana Botelho and, most recently, Cortney Casey in February.
In Rodriguez, she takes on another taller and rangier striker, but preparing at a camp like Tiger Muay Thai has allowed her to further develop her striking skills.
“She’s a dangerous fighter,” Calvillo said. “I feel like it’s a great fight for me to be able to really showcase what I have. I feel like sometimes I’ve had really tough or awkward fighters when it comes to striking, and I haven’t been able to really showcase what my striking is just because everybody’s been different. Styles make fights, and I think this is a great fight where I’m strong in my grappling and submission wrestling, but I’ve also been in Thailand for the last nine weeks getting ready and training non-stop, striking.”
Cynthia Calvillo: If fight hits the canvas, 'it's game over' for Marina Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 7
