Marina Rodriguez promised to make her rematch with Michelle Waterson-Gomez even more definitive than the first fight, and she absolutely did that at UFC Fight Night 228.
Rodriguez (17-3-2 MMA, 7-3-2 UFC) was nothing short of dominant in handing Waterson-Gomez (18-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC) her fourth consecutive defeat, scoring a TKO at the 2:42 mark of Round 2 in the strawweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight was a rematch of the their May 2021 main event, which Rodriguez won by unanimous decision.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
MAJOR pressure from Marina Rodriguez for the stoppage 💪 #UFCVegas79 pic.twitter.com/vYaYZYATGS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 24, 2023
Waterson-Gomez and Rodriguez clashed into a grappling exchanging the opening moments and it let to top control for Waterson-Gomez for nearly two minutes. When Rodriguez got up, she peppered her opponent with knees. Rodriguez then took all the momentum, brutalizing Waterson-Gomez with elbows, punches, knees and kicks and doing a done of facial damage.
Covered in blood, Waterson-Gomez made it to the second round, but her odds of a comeback had already expired. Rodriguez continued to pour on the offense, forcing Waterson-Gomez into a sloppy takedown attempt that Rodriguez countered into mount. She postured up and threw a flurry that forced the referee to step in.
After the fight, an elated Rodriguez called out undefeated fellow contender Tatiana Suarez.
“I’m back, and I go onto the title shot soon,” Rodriguez said in her post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I think it’s time. I’ve been undefeated for a long time and I would love to call out Tatiana Suarez. .. I think she still needs some fights before a title shot, like I did.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 228 results include:
- Marina Rodriguez def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via TKO (punches) – Round ,
- Bryan Battle def. A.J. Fletcher via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:32
- Charles Jourdain vs. Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:12
- Miles Johns def. Dan Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Miles Johns def. Dan Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tim Means def. Andre Fialho via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:15
- Cody Brundage def. Jacob Malkoun via disqualification (illegal strike) – Round 1, 4:15
- Mohammed Usman def. Jake Collier via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mizuki Inoue def. Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Montserrat Rendon def. Tamires Vidal via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.
