AUSTIN, Texas – Gregory Rodrigues expects his octagon activity to play a factor against Julian Marquez.
Rodrigues (11-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces Marquez (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 35 main card opener in Austin, Texas, in what will be his fourth fight in a calendar year.
Marquez on the other hand, hasn’t competed since stopping Sam Alvey in April 2021, and Rodrigues thinks the time off will likely affect him.
“He’s a nice guy, tough guy. Te’s been so long in the UFC, I think since 2015 or something like that,” Rodrigues said at Wednesday’s media day in Austin, Texas. “He’s coming off two good wins. (His) last performance against Sam Alvey was great, but he hasn’t fought in like a year, and I think that can affect him at some point.
“I’m keeping consistent in my fights. (I) fight every three months, so that’s building your confidence. We don’t have the same style, but he’s aggressive, goes forward. But I know who I am. I know all the steps I did and my evolution is getting better. I improved myself in all my fights, and I wanted the fight. That’ll be a great fight for me and for him.”
Check out Rodrigues’ full interview in the video above.
UFC on ESPN 37 takes place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
