‘Robocop’ Admits Gloves Incident but Shuts Down Anthony Hernandez’s Cheating Claims

Following his second straight loss in what has quickly become a brutal skid for a once-rising contender, Anthony Hernandez had more than the result to complain about. The middleweight accused his opponent, Gregory Rodrigues, aka ‘Robocop,’ of cheating, citing what he believed were illegal moves during their fight.

Now, in the wake of those allegations, the Brazilian has decided to set the record straight. Maybe a little too straight. During a recent interview, the 34-year-old made a rather revealing admission, acknowledging that his hand did, in fact, find its way inside “Fluffy’s” gloves, perhaps once, perhaps twice.

Gregory Rodrigues Admits Glove Incident but says Hernandez Won

Rodrigues, for his part, didn't seem particularly "surprised" to hear Hernandez level the accusations against him. Whether that was simply the reaction of a fighter expecting his opponent to be frustrated after a grueling loss, or something more telling, is open to interpretation.

Nevertheless, whatever tension existed after the five-round war in Sacramento appeared to fade quickly. The mood between the two was unusually warm and cordial, with the Brazilian showering Hernandez with praise after their bloody battle. “Robocop” even took to social media afterward to salute his

Then came the accusations. Hernandez did not mince words after the fight. The middleweight told reporters that Rodrigues had grabbed inside his gloves multiple times and said he had repeatedly alerted referee Herb Dean. Frustrated by the lack of a point deduction, “Fluffy” suggested that perhaps fighting clean was not enough.

Gregory Rodrigues' Take on Incident

Rodrigues (20-6-0), however, sees the situation very differently. “He can say whatever he wants,” he told Ariel Helwani. “The fact is that I beat him with the leg kicks. I punched him. He didn't take me down. He didn't do anything. He put a pressure that was good, but I didn't cheat him, he knows that.”

He continued, “I’ve a lot of respect for him. I saw his family right there, his son was crying front row, you know. It’s crazy but that’s the sport.”

While Rodrigues described the bout as a “dog fight,” he may have been a little too candid when revealing a conversation he had with his wife during training. Speaking to Helwani, “Robocop” joked about just how far he was willing to go to win: “I told my wife during my training, ‘Bro, if I can I’m going to bite the guy!’ I break my bones but I’m going to do everything I need but I didn’t cheat during the fight.”

However, the irony is that Rodrigues did not completely deny the glove incident. In fact, he admitted it happened.

“Yeah. One time I was in the cage and my hand was in his gloves… Then I take it out.”

He also suggested that there may have been other moments when his hands grabbed Hernandez's gloves involuntarily, but maintained that none of it was deliberate or significant enough to alter the fight.

“Sometimes, involuntary, my hands grab his gloves, but it was nothing that would change the result of the fight,” Rodrigues said.

Would a Herb Dean Point Deduction Change the Result?

That begs the question: Would Hernandez (15-4-0, 1NC) have won had Dean deducted a point or even two from Rodrigues? The possibility is worth considering, especially given how close the official scorecards were. Rodrigues earned a unanimous decision, but two judges had it 48-47, while the third scored it 49-46.

On the surface, that makes Hernandez's frustration easier to understand. A point deduction can dramatically change the complexion of a close fight. Had Dean deducted one point from Rodrigues, the two 48-47 scorecards could theoretically have become draws, depending on which round the infraction occurred and how the judges had scored the action.

That said, a second deduction could have changed the outcome even more dramatically. However, though there is an important caveat here. Point deductions do not simply get applied to the final score after the fact. 

On the contrary, they are attached to a specific round, and the exact impact would depend on how each judge scored that particular frame.

All those aside, the hypothetical cannot erase what actually happened over those five rounds.

Gregory Rodrigues Withstood Takedown Game of Hernandez 

Rodrigues repeatedly sent Hernandez to the canvas with punishing leg kicks, survived a relentless wrestling assault, and defended more than 20 takedown attempts. Although the Sacramento native had his own moments, the visual damage was impossible to ignore. By the championship rounds, he was fighting through a compromised leg and an increasingly difficult night.

As “Robocop” stated, “If that was clear, Herb Dean would probably say something or everyone's gonna see it on the TV,” he said.

That doesn't necessarily settle the debate. Hernandez clearly believes Dean missed repeated fouls, and Rodrigues' admission that his hand was inside the glove at least gives the accusation a new wrinkle.

Still, the Brazilian's central argument remains straightforward: even if there was an accidental glove grab, it didn't win him the fight.