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On the featured bout of the UFC Vegas 41 preliminary card, Gregory Rodrigues and Jun Yong Park had a legit war of a fight may have made a contender for the round of the year in 2021.
The first round between the Brazilian and the South Korean did not have much of a feeling-out process. From early on, both men were looking to land power shots and not employing a strategy to keep their foe off balance. They were looking to end the fight sooner than later. There were some quiet moments in the round with a few grappling exchanges, but a phone booth moment where both were slinging punches up close foreshadowed what was to come in the second round.
Gregory Rodrigues has ROTY contender with Jun Yong Park at UFC Vegas 41
As the opening minutes of the second round played out, it seemed like “Robocop” was beginning to tire from the high pace and pressure from Park. “The Iron Turtle” was beginning to land frequently and putting Rodrigues in really bad spots up against the cage. As he was being battered and offering less of a response. However, he was showing a world of toughness in staying in there and trying to find his moment.
The 29-year-old would get his opportunity with around two minutes left in the round. As Park backed up to get a breather, Rodrigues came forward and landed a right and left hand that stunned his opponent. All of a sudden, the pressure was gone and Park was backpedaling in a major way. Rodrigues sensed blood and he went in for the kill.
Rodrigues got his foe against the cage, punched away, and then scored with a big uppercut that buckled Park’s legs and forced the referee to jump in and call an end to the fight, handing Rodrigues the TKO win. The victory moves the former LFA champion to 2-0 inside the Octagon.
The loss ends a three-fight win streak for Park and moves his record to 3-2 in the UFC. It is also the first stoppage defeat of his career by way of strikes.
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