UFC Belgrade star Daniel Rodriguez rewatches win over Mike Perry: "I whooped his a**"
Daniel Rodriguez, heading into his first main event matchup at UFC Belgrade, took time out to rewatch his victory over fellow KO artist Mike Perry.
Daniel Rodriguez rewatched his thrilling victory against "Platinum" Mike Perry from their action-packed three-round fight.
The welterweight MMA matchup -- which transpired at UFC Vegas 23 back in April of 2021 -- saw Rodriguez out-strike Perry to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Rodriguez, alongside former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, addressed a few intriguing aspects of that fight and his striking prowess.
Daniel Rodriguez rewatched his win over the dangerous Mike Perry at UFC Vegas 23 ahead of his UFC Belgrade fight
During a recent appearance on Love & War with Dominick Cruz, Daniel Rodriguez touched upon a myriad of topics. He elicited laudation from the legendary Cruz for his well-rounded MMA skill set.
The MMA great also affirmed that Rodriguez's fight against Mike Perry was "sick," making an allusion to the striking clinic he put on against a fellow knockout artist in Perry.
Rodriguez responded by revealing that the Perry fight was one of his favorites. He stated, "Yeah. That's one of my favorites. I remember..." Rodriguez smilingly recounted, "I still brag about it, like, 'Yo. I whooped his a**.'"
Cruz chimed in and alluded to the success Perry has achieved, knocking opponents out. "The Dominator" said, "And he (Mike Perry) is a beast. He's knocking people out, bro." Meanwhile, Rodriguez said, "I beat the brakes off that guy. It was crazy."
Moreover, Cruz praised him for the technical boxing prowess he displayed in that fight. He particularly implied that Rodriguez's length, range, and jab were on point against "Platinum" inside the octagon.
The UFC Hall of Famer drew attention to a significant factor at play in that showdown, highlighting that it was an open stance fight, as Rodriguez fought from a southpaw stance and Perry from orthodox.
He emphasized that "D-Rod" managed to consistently find a home for his jab despite the usual battle of the lead hands in a southpaw vs. orthodox clash.
Well, Rodriguez said, "I think what it is -- is I don't telegraph it at all. And it comes from, like, weird angles. Like, I don't even know, man. But it's my best weapon."
The 39-year-old appeared to suggest that many of his sparring partners have spoken to him about his incredible jab. The veteran combatant asserted that he possesses a powerful jab that pops his opponent's head back.
Cruz underscored that the jab is paramount and sets up the knockouts, to which Rodriguez concurred. The California-born athlete also spoke about his liking for utilizing body shots, adding that he goes to the body to hurt opponents who simply lean back and avoid strikes to the head.
In response, he earned praise from "The Dominator" for his adherence to the basics of striking.
Watch Daniel Rodriguez and Dominick Cruz discuss the former's fight against Mike Perry, striking, and more below (*comments at the 40:17-minute mark of the video):
Daniel Rodriguez faces fellow striker Uros Medic at UFC Belgrade, whereas Mike Perry takes on grappling savant Dillon Danis at Duel Arena 1
Daniel Rodriguez is all set to compete for the first time since his eight-month prison term in Mexico, which saw him strive hard to train and even struggle for optimum nutrition.
Regardless, he's on a three-fight win streak and has hinted that he'll pick up where he left off en route to the welterweight division's upper echelons.
Rodriguez is up against yet another scary striker and fellow KO artist in Serbia's Uros Medic. Their five-round welterweight clash will be the main event of UFC Belgrade on August 1. It's been hailed as a historic card, the first UFC event in Serbia.
On the other hand, Mike Perry got outpointed by Rodriguez in a match where he was criticized for not having a proper corner/corner persons back in 2021.
Perry departed the UFC after that loss and had a career resurgence, competing in Triad Combat, professional boxing, MMA, and bare-knuckle boxing.
The Michigan-born Florida-based fighter is known to have achieved tremendous success in the bare-knuckle boxing realm, accruing a 6-0 undefeated record in the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) and capturing its symbolic King of Violence title.
Perry is now booked to face BJJ veteran Dillon Danis in a welterweight MMA matchup, which is set to serve as the headlining fight for a hybrid combat sports card -- Duel Arena 1 -- in Orlando on August 29.
