Zuffa Boxing
Misael Rodriguez | Olympic Pedigree, Mexican Passion | Zuffa Boxing
Misael Rodriguez Brought An Olympic Medal Home To Mexico At The 2016 Summer Olympics. Now He’s Chasing Championship Gold In Zuffa Boxing
On a fight card that is loaded with talented fighters, including many with undefeated records, Misael Rodriguez’s name stands out.
The 31-year-old from Chihuahua, Mexico, has been to the highest echelons of the amateur game, and now he plans on taking his skills to the top of the pro ranks. He also happens to be the cousin of former UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez.
Back in 2016, Rodriguez boxed for Mexico at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he won bronze in the middleweight class. Now, a decade on, and with a perfect 14-0 professional record, he’s setting his sights on championship glory in Zuffa Boxing.
“I think it's part of history that it's a new league that's going to make all the best fighters in the world fight each other, and I'm glad to be a part of it,” he told UFC.com ahead of his bout this weekend.
“To me, it's an honor to be part of this super promotion and represent the Mexican flag, because I'm a warrior, and it's a new platform, and it's going to be for the best fighters in the world to show their skills.”
Someone's 0 will have to go 👀@Misaelotee v Austin Deanda#ZuffaBoxing01 | JAN 23 | 📺 @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/4GiwEh1wDm
— Zuffa_Boxing (@Zuffa_Boxing) January 22, 2026
Rodriguez will feature in the inaugural Zuffa Boxing event, Zuffa Boxing 01, where he’ll take on Austin DeAnda in the middleweight co-main event at the Meta APEX on Friday night.
It’s a bout against another undefeated opponent, but Rodriguez is relishing the challenge, and said he’ll call upon all of his Olympic experience as he embarks on this new chapter of his career.
“What motivates me is I did the Olympics. I won a medal in the Olympics,” he stated.
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“Now I want to move to this promotion and win a championship, and be the second boxer (from Mexico) do this, win a medal, and also win a championship.
“I don’t feel no danger. I prepared in the Olympics. I didn't know who my opponent was one week in advance. I just go, and I know what I do, and I'm here to fight.”
Despite his medal success in Rio, Rodriguez admitted that he had to continue working to improve and adjust his game to deal with the different factors at play under the Queensberry Rules, rather than amateur rules.
“Fighting in the Olympics is great. It gets you more experience, different cultures, different worlds,” he explained.
“Once you go to pro, it’s smaller gloves, more danger, and you have to learn more. And it's more exciting for me.”
When he steps through the ropes at the Meta APEX, it’ll be almost a year to the day since his last fight. For an ascending talent, a year away from the ring can feel like a lifetime, but Rodriguez explained that he’s been working hard away from the spotlight.
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“I’m not going to feel the time off, because I've been training the whole year,” he said.
“There was no lapse in my training, and it's been a year since I fought, but you guys will see the best version of myself.”
He’s also revealed that he’d been working with the recently retired pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford, who helped him sharpen his own game and improve his fighting style, just by sparring with the former three-weight undisputed world champion.
Misael Rodriguez Fight Week Interview | Zuffa Boxing 01
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Misael Rodriguez Fight Week Interview | Zuffa Boxing 01
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“Yeah, I learned a lot of things from my last fight,” he said.
“I got an opportunity to spar with Crawford, and I learned a lot of things, and I picked up a lot of things that you guys will see in this next fight.”
Like the other fighters set for action on this historic first Zuffa Boxing card, Rodriguez is excited for the opportunity and ready to put on a show. But for Rodriguez, putting on a show is just part of his heritage as a Mexican fighter, and he vowed to deliver the goods on fight night for his fans both in the United States and back home in Mexico.
“I want to thank my fans here in the United States and in Mexico, like you guys backed me up since the beginning, and I just want to let you know that I'm Mexican and we don't back down,” he stated.
“I don't like to talk. I just like to show what I do.
“I have Mexican blood in my body, and that's all people need to see.”
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