Athletes
Daniel Rodriguez | The Ride Continues
Veteran Welterweight Talks Morono Win, Ponzinibbio Pairing, And Fighting To Secure His Future Outside The Octagon
“Everybody has their rollercoaster in this game,” begins Daniel Rodriguez, posted up in his hotel room in Des Moines, Iowa, just a handful of days ahead of his clash with Santiago Ponzinibbio at Wells Fargo Arena.
A truer statement has not been made by someone more qualified to speak on the ups and downs of life than the 38-year-old Los Angeles native, who grew up surrounded by and immersed in gang life prior to finding an escape through mixed martial arts. The tough Angelino amassed an 8-1 record on the regional circuit and earned an opportunity to compete on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
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He out-worked Rico Farrington, earning a unanimous decision win, but was the lone victor from Week 6 to go home without a contract. Not quite six years later, he’s one of two fighters from that week, along with Tracy Cortez, currently on the active UFC roster, and amongst all the competitors signed from Season 3, “D-Rod” has more victories (eight) and appearances (12) than anyone other than Brendan Allen.
“I’m the only fighter that night that didn’t get signed,” he says with an amused smile when the subject of the Contender Series comes up.
While he didn’t get called to the Octagon that evening, his phone did ring a few months later, and Rodriguez parlayed a short-notice opportunity against Tim Means into a UFC victory, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Over his first two years on the roster, he established himself as a staple in the welterweight division and a consummate professional; the kind of fighter you could count on to turn up on weight, ready to go each and every time his name was called.
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“I’m on the crazy-a** journey that I never thought I would be on, so every day, I’m blessed to be here,” he says, reflecting on the journey that has brought him to the American heartland this week. “I’m about to fight in the Wells Fargo Arena in Iowa. The way it all worked out, it’s like a movie.
“They say ‘a company man’ — I’m that f***** guy! I’ll show up when they need me. Regardless of who they put in front of me, they know that I’m gonna show up, ready to fight, and I’m game.
“I love the way all of this is happening.”
But that love was tested over the last two years, as Rodriguez experienced his own rollercoaster inside the Octagon.
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After earning four straight victories to move to 7-1 in the UFC and find himself on the doorstep of the Top 15 in the welterweight division, the 38-year-old dropped consecutive fights to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry, and Kelvin Gastelum, the last of which was shifted to middleweight midway through fight week in Saudi Arabia when it became apparent that Gastelum was not going to make the 171-pound welterweight limit.
Though each of the losses came against divisional stalwarts and an ascending star, Rodriguez still headed into his bout with Alex Morono in October feeling like his place on the roster hung in the balance.
“I needed that win bad, man; bad! My career was on the line; that’s what it felt like,” offers Rodriguez, who started slowly but found his footing en route to securing a unanimous decision win.
“For real, it was,” he says, reiterating his position that his spot was at stake, despite his losses coming against tenured opponents and the surging Irish contender. “Four Ls? Nah, that’s too hard.
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“I came out again, fought Alex Morono — it was looking real bad at first, but I showed some grit and came out with the win,” he adds with a smile. “I had my little f***** (pantomimes going downhill while whistling), but we up now! We up, and this Saturday, I’m about to prove that we’re going up.”
This weekend’s matchup with Ponzinibbio carries some additional weight and importance to Rodriguez beyond simply being another matchup with a battle-tested veteran that can potentially propel him forward in the divisional ranks.
For starters, it was originally scheduled to take place in September 2023, but had to be scrapped when Rodriguez tested positive for a banned substance and was handed a six-month suspension. Though he didn’t mention the failed drug test by name, Rodriguez did frame this fight as one where he has “so much to make up for,” acknowledging the postponement was “a bad look” and his desire to “switch all that up” this weekend.
But, more importantly, this fight feels like the key to unlocking the future Rodriguez is working to build for himself outside of the Octagon, and the driven veteran is bent on going out there and securing a second straight win so he can truly begin investing in those projects in earnest.
“Let me tell you, this fight means so much to me because I have so much lined up behind it; I have so much s*** planned,” begins Rodriguez. “I’m starting to build an empire, so these next few fights, you’re gonna get the best ‘D-Rod' you’re gonna get because I have so much riding on these fights, so much riding on the win bonus — and then the extra 50k bonus.
“So many good things are happening and I’m so excited for the future that I’m gonna go out there on Saturday and fight for that future,” he adds, shifting back and forth in his seat as the anticipation courses through his body. “It’s not just going out there to get the win — it’s getting the win for my future, and that gives me so much more motivation, so much more energy.”
After admittedly struggling with Morono out of the chute, the chance to step in with a more conventional, traditional opponent like Ponzinibbio carries tremendous appeal, and Rodriguez is confident that when the smoke clears, the result will be the same as the last time.
“I feel like it’s gonna be similar to the Morono fight,” he says before quickly adding “but I’m not gonna start off as slow.
“I’m gonna try to have better footwork and pick him apart a little more, but I’m ready for him to come out in the first round with everything he’s got. By the time the third round comes — if it gets that far — I will be picking him apart and doing what I do, man.
“He’s not a high combination striker,” he adds, giving a cursory assessment of his Argentinian opponent. “It’s very simple: ones and twos, maybe a three, but I’m a volume f****** striker. I’ll be in his grill.”
From feeling like he was fighting for his UFC career to looking to secure his future beyond the Octagon, the last several fights have indeed been a rollercoaster for Rodriguez.
But he was ultra-confident heading into the last one and feels even better this time around.
“That was a good matchup for me,” he says of the fight with Morono. “When I got that matchup, I said, ‘That’s a good matchup for me; I’m gonna win this fight.’
“When I got this matchup, I said, ‘Good matchup for me; I’m gonna win this fight.’ The UFC did a great job on this one.”
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo took place live from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on May 3, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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