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.”

FightBookMMA

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.