Gregory Rodrigues righted the ship at 185 pounds earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 19, 2023) at UFC 292 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside TD Garden in Boston, Mass., when “Robocop” steamrolled fellow middleweight Denis Tiuliulin with a vicious first-round knockout (elbows).
Rodrigues is known for getting into firefights, but the Brazilian contender took his time tonight. He only mixed it up for a little bit on the feet before utilizing his grappling and securing a takedown. Rodrigues quickly moved into full mount and blasted Tiuliuin with a questionable elbow to the head (the replay later showed it was likely an illegal blow) followed by another that put the Russian out cold.
Check out the final moments below:
VICIOUS ELBOWS FROM GREGORY RODRIGUES #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/9WqT4eDpAp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 20, 2023
Rodrigues, 31, was coming off a brutal knockout loss to Bruno Silva back in January so this victory was much-needed to keep his division stock afloat. The fighter known as “Robocop” was dangerous before tonight, but if he can control his powerful offense and implement more of his grappling he could be even better moving forward.
For complete UFC 292 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.