Making his Octagon return this weekend at UFC 279 in a 180lbs catchweight clash with fellow exciting striker, Kevin Holland, streaking welterweight contender, Daniel Rodriguez has welcomed the opportunity to knock his fellow Californian from his pedestal amid his recent string of wins.
Out of action since August of last year, Rodriguez, who entered the Octagon for the seventh time at that UFC Vegas 35 event, managed to secure his most high-profile victory in the organization to date with an impressive unanimous decision win against former interim title challenger, Kevin Lee.
In the midst of a two-fight winning run at welterweight since his return to the division, Riverside striker, Holland defeated promotional alum, Alex Oliveira at UFC 272 back in March with a second round knockout at his first outing in the welterweight division, before then submitting common-foe, Tim Means with a second round D’Arce choke win.
Daniel Rodriguez welcomes the chance to shut Kevin Holland’s mouth at UFC 279
Welcoming the opportunity to fight Holland in this weekend’s all-Californian matchup, Rodriguez claimed he was itching to “shut up” the fan-favorite contender.
“Man, I see it being a fun-ass fight,” Daniel Rodriguez said of his UFC 279 return during a recent interview with Inside Fighting. “He’s (Kevin Holland) definitely going to come out swinging and put up a fight. He has been calling me out for a long time, the whole time I’ve been injured he;s been trying to call me out. I was scheduled to fight him, he got injured so it was kind of one of those things, it was a fight that was going to happen sooner or later.”
“I honestly see myself coming our with the ‘W’,” Daniel Rodriguez explained. “… Kevin Holland – I finally get to shut that motherf*cker up.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
Boasting an impressive 6-1 record during his Octagon tenure, beyond a sole loss to former Cage Warriors champion, Nicolas Dalby, Rodriguez has defeated Tim Means, Gabriel Green, Dwight Grant, Mike Perry, and Preston Parsons.