Get to know Dana White’s Contender Series fighter Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues

Las Vegas – Get to know Dana White’s Contender Series fighter Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues.

The fourth season of the hit show Dana White’s Contender Series continues with Episode 7, featuring a lineup of rising athletes looking to make their dreams come true by impressing UFC President Dana White and earning a spot on the UFC roster.

The seventh episode of season four takes place on Tuesday, September 15 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, with all five bouts streaming exclusively on ESPN+ in the US.

ESPN+ is available through ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One, and more. Fans can sign up for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, with no contract required.

NAME: Gregory Rodrigues
NICKNAME: Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues
WEIGHT CLASS: Middleweight
AGE: 28 years old – 2/17/92
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2, 185
REACH: –
LEG REACH: –
STANCE: Orthodox
BIRTHPLACE: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
FIGHTING OUT OF: Los Angeles, CA
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English and Portuguese
STYLE: Grappler
TRAINER: Black House MMA, Brazilian Samurai and Fabio Melo
STRENGTHS: Jiu-Jitsu black belt
TRAINING: I usually train three times a day. I run at 6am, come back home and get my
breakfast. Later I go to Black House around 10:30 and stay there until 1:00pm. I go back home,
get lunch and rest a little bit. At 6:00pm I do my strength and conditioning with coach Fabio.
PROFESSIONAL MMA RECORD: 7-2

Q&A

Thoughts on opponent, Jordan Williams? He is southpaw and a wrestler, but I didn’t see anything special in him. He likes to strike but doesn’t have enough punching power.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training when I was five years old with my dad in capoeira. At eight years old I started training jiu-jitsu under Senseí Henrique Machado in Manaus, Brazil (He is same Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s jiu-jitsu coach). I’ve always competed a lot in jiu-jitsu and I won many important titles in jiu-jitsu. I was an eight-time national jiu-jitsu champion, jiu-jitsu world champion, professional world champion in Abu Dhabi and I got second place in Pan-American wrestling. Since then, I never stopped training. In 2014, I moved to Rio de Janeiro to start my professional MMA career.

What ranks and titles have you held? I earned about 200 medals in jiu-jitsu and wrestling competitions around the world. In MMA I already have two belts. I am JAGUAR COMBAT middleweight champion and I am SMASH GLOBAL middleweight champion.

Do you have any heroes? My dad always was my hero. He and my mom gave all the support for me to continue training. I come from a humble family in Brazil, but they give all for me to follow my dream.

What would it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It would make a child’s dream come true. My family and I always watched great fighters on TV, and I imagined being one of them. So now it is my turn, to show the world who I am.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I didn’t go to college. My life was training and competing.

What was your job before you started fighting? Since childhood I was an athlete. My job was to train and to compete.

Ranks in any martial arts styles: Black belt in BJJ

Favorite grappling technique: Armbar

Favorite Striking technique: Knees

Twitter account name: @gregory_mma

Facebook account: Gregory Rodrigues

Instagram account: @gregoryrodriguesmma

OTHER KEY POINTS:

• Pro since 2014
• Three wins by KO, three by submission (2 armbar, heel hook)
• Four first round finishes
• On six fight winning streak
• Owns 2018 submission win over UFC vet Edilberto Crocota
• Origin of nickname: “I fight like a robot.”

Roberto Villa

Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.