LAS VEGAS – Christian Rodriguez is more comfortable than ever as the days wind down to his UFC Fight Night 239 matchup with Isaac Dulgarian, and that’s because he’s cutting 10 less pounds than normal.
After repeated struggles to make the bantamweight limit, Rodriguez (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will move up to featherweight for Saturday’s showdown with Dulgarian (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), which takes place at the UFC Apex (ESPN+).
Rodriguez said he’s added some mass through strength and conditioning that he was unable to do before, but even with that, he feels physically and mentally better than any fight week to date.
“It’s a little bit different because I’m not tripping about my (weight) – not tripping, but more than mental clarity of the weight, how things can go wrong,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “It’s been a good week so far. I’m excited. I won’t be depleted. I think I’ll put on a really, really good performance.”
Dulgarian talked a little trash during his media day appearance in claiming that Rodriguez has been fighting “little kids” down at 135 pounds. Rodriguez took issue with that statement, and noted that out of the six wins Dulgarian has to date, only two of them came against opponents with winning records, and one of them was 41 years old.
Whether that makes any difference in the octagon on fight night remains to be see, but Rodriguez is supremely confident about his chances with this matchup.
“I think I’ve fought tougher opponents before,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not looking past him, but I know what I bring to the table.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.
Christian Rodriguez feels ‘mental clarity’ with move to featherweight for UFC Fight Night 239
