Rivalries: Marina Rodriguez

Marina Rodriguez’s flirtation with title contention has not yet progressed to the next level in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division. Perhaps her fortunes can soon change.

The 35-year-old Marcio Malko disciple will square off with onetime Jungle Fight champion Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 214 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodriguez enters the cage with the wind of a four-fight winning streak at her back. She last competed at UFC 272, where she eked out a split decision over Xiaonan Yan and improved to 16-1-2 in their three-round clash on March 5.

As Rodriguez sets her sights on Lemos at 115 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape her career to this point:

Randa Markos

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 semifinalist called upon timely takedowns, steady ground-and-pound and positional control to counteract clear striking deficiencies and force a majority draw with Rodriguez as part of the UFC Fight Night 137 main card on Sept. 22, 2018 at Geraldo Jose de Almeida Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Judge Chris Lee saw it 29-28 for Markos, while Derek Cleary and Hallison Pontes struck matching 28-28 scorecards. Rodriguez met with immediate adversity, as she was taken down and mounted inside the first round. Markos racked up more than three minutes of control time on the ground, piling up points to the tune of a 29-5 advantage in total strikes. Rodriguez spent the next 10 minutes playing catchup and managed to keep the action in her desired phase much of the time. She connected with 58 significant strikes across the final two rounds—Markos answered with only 34 of them—and did enough to draw even on two of the three scorecards. It was the first blemish on what had been a pristine resume for the Brazilian.

Cynthia Calvillo

The Tiger Muay Thai representative fought to a majority draw with Rodriguez in their UFC on ESPN 7 co-main event on Dec. 7, 2019 at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Judges David Braslow and Sal D’Amato scored it 28-28, while the aforementioned Lee saw it 29-28 for Rodriguez. A short-notice replacement for Claudia Gadelha, the undefeated Rodriguez spent much of the first two rounds abusing the Californian with sharp right hands, crushing knees to the body, standing elbows and a variety of kicks. However, Calvillo lured her into Round 3 and made her move. She secured a takedown, tore into Rodriguez with elbows to the body and head, transitioned to full mount and let fly with a brutal sequence of ground-and-pound that almost necessitated a stoppage. Rodriguez survived, left her fate to the cageside judiciary and settled for another draw.

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Carla Esparza

“The Cookie Monster” followed the only known blueprint on Rodriguez to a three-round split decision in their UFC on ESPN 14 women’s strawweight showcase on July 25, 2020 at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. All three judges scored it 29-28: Ben Cartlidge and Clemens Werner for Esparza, Anders Ohlsson for Rodriguez. Esparza completed five takedowns—one in the first round, another in the second and three more in the third—and accumulated nearly nine minutes of control time in the contentious confrontation. Rodriguez landed the more consequential strikes when the two women engaged on the feet but could not do enough to counteract the Team Oyama standout in other areas. Esparza tied a bow on her performance in Round 3, where she paired those takedowns with elbow-laced ground-and-pound and, most importantly, neutralized the Brazilian on the canvas.

Amanda Ribas

Rodriguez put away the charismatic former Jungle Fight titleholder with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 257 attraction on Jan. 23, 2021 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate drew the curtain 54 seconds into Round 2. Ribas secured a takedown and controlled much of the first round from top position. Her luck changed in an instant in the second. There, she walked into a counter right hook from Rodriguez, faceplanted and continued to eat punches while referee Herb Dean hovered above. Dean appeared to make contact with Rodriguez but did not call for the stoppage, leading to a momentary pause. She then resumed her assault on the still-wobbly Ribas, connected with another thudding right and forced Dean to act.

Mackenzie Dern

A resurgent Rodriguez outstruck the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist and withstood a few harrowing ground exchanges with the jiu-jitsu ace, as she took a unanimous decision in their UFC Fight Night 194 headliner on Oct. 9, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges saw it the same: 49-46 for Rodriguez. Dern had her chances. She dragged Rodriguez to the canvas in the second round, threatened with a leg lock and moved into side control. From there, she applied her ground-and-pound from a reverse crucifix position and advanced to the back. However, the submission Dern needed never materialized. She managed to get Rodriguez back to the mat with roughly 40 seconds left in the fourth round, and though she ended the period in full mount, her last legitimate opportunity at a victory had passed her by. Rodriguez was the vastly superior striker and knitted together her weapons beautifully, from multi-punch volleys, front kicks to the body and crisp jabs to oblique kicks, knees to the body and standing elbows. Fatigue also played a role in Dern’s demise, as she slowed noticeably in the championship rounds.